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Synonyms

petulant

American  
[pech-uh-luhnt] / ˈpɛtʃ ə lənt /

adjective

  1. moved to or showing sudden, impatient irritation, especially over some trifling annoyance.

    a petulant toss of the head.
    Synonyms:
    touchy, pettish, fretful, peevish, irritable
petulant British  
/ ˈpɛtjʊlənt /

adjective

  1. irritable, impatient, or sullen in a peevish or capricious way

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • petulance noun
  • petulantly adverb
  • unpetulant adjective

Etymology

Origin of petulant

First recorded in 1590–1600; from Latin petulant- (stem of petulāns ) “impudent,” akin to petere “to seek, head for”

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

It’s the same feeling that a petulant toddler has when throwing a tantrum toward its parents.

From Slate • Mar. 13, 2026

However, the game was turned on its head after the away side were reduced to 12 players after Mikey Lewis was sin-binned for a petulant trip on Liam Harris.

From BBC • Feb. 12, 2026

The retelling of the first lady’s life recasts her as a petulant former cabaret performer who would rather be on stage than in the White House.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 17, 2025

The piece talked down to Roan and diminished her requests as childish and unthinking — ironic for something as petulant as the column reads.

From Salon • Apr. 26, 2025

Lola was immediately petulant, and Briony assumed that these rapid changes of mood were part of her recent upset.

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.