petulant

[ pech-uh-luhnt ]

/ ˈpɛtʃ ə lənt /

adjective

moved to or showing sudden, impatient irritation, especially over some trifling annoyance: a petulant toss of the head.

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transliterate

to remove or destroy all traces of.

to change (letters, words, etc.), into corresponding characters of another alphabet or language.

to explain in terms that can be more easily understood.

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Origin of petulant

1590–1600; < Latin petulant- (stem of petulāns) impudent, akin to petere to seek, head for

SYNONYMS FOR petulant

irritable, peevish, fretful, pettish, touchy.

OTHER WORDS FROM petulant

pet·u·lant·ly, adverbun·pet·u·lant, adjectiveun·pet·u·lant·ly, adverb

Words nearby petulant

petty officer, petty sessions, petty-fitzmaurice, petulance, petulancy, petulant, petunia, petuntse, petworth house, petén-itzá, petöfi

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for petulantly

These people might have been sternly arrayed against him, so strongly and petulantly did he offer his excuses.
The Idol of The Blind|Tom Gallon
I really think (petulantly) you must be in love with Mary yourself.
Mary Seaham, Volume 1 of 3|Elizabeth Caroline Grey
"Oh, I don't care what the devil your name is," he broke in petulantly.
The Trail of '98|Robert W. Service
But, petulantly, the treble threw off the sombre spirit of what had gone before.
The Transgression of Andrew Vane|Guy Wetmore Carryl

Madeleine was silenced, but Bertha ran on petulantly, this time turning to Maurice.
Fairy Fingers|Anna Cora Mowatt Ritchie

British Dictionary definitions for petulantly

petulant

/ (ˈpɛtjʊlənt) /

adjective

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

Derived forms of petulant

petulance or petulancy, nounpetulantly, adverb

Word Origin for petulant

C16: via Old French from Latin petulāns bold, from petulāre (unattested) to attack playfully, from petere to assail

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