petulant
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of petulant
First recorded in 1590–1600; from Latin petulant- (stem of petulāns ) “impudent,” akin to petere “to seek, head for”
Explanation
Choose the adjective petulant to describe a person or behavior that is irritable in a childish way. The adjective petulant is a disapproving term used to describe a bad-tempered child, an adult behaving like an angry child or behavior of this type. It's one thing to be angry or annoyed but if someone is petulant, they're acting in an unreasonable or unjustified manner. Petulant came to English in the late 16th century from the Latin petulantem, "forward, insolent" but was not recorded to mean "childishly irritable" until the late 1700s.
Vocabulary lists containing petulant
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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The SAT: Words to Capture Tone, List 4
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List 4
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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.
"I was a bit petulant and naive back then," he says.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
But while Argentina was being petty and petulant, Spain was practically perfect in every way.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
You can argue that the Big Ten and SEC are being petulant, but without them onboard, what are we really doing here?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 4, 2026
It’s the same feeling that a petulant toddler has when throwing a tantrum toward its parents.
From Slate ● Mar. 13, 2026
I looked at the side of his face: petulant, irritable, glasses low on the tip of his sharp little nose and the beginnings of jowls at his jawline.
From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
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.
