querulous
Americanadjective
-
full of complaints; complaining.
- Synonyms:
- discontented, carping, testy, petulant
- Antonyms:
- contented
-
characterized by or uttered in complaint; peevish.
a querulous tone; constant querulous reminders of things to be done.
- Synonyms:
- discontented, carping, testy, petulant
adjective
-
inclined to make whining or peevish complaints
-
characterized by or proceeding from a complaining fretful attitude or disposition
a querulous tone
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of querulous
1490–1500; < Latin querulus, equivalent to quer ( ī ) to complain + -ulus -ulous
Explanation
Querulous means “having a tendency to complain” or, more directly put, “whiny.” Sure, no one can be happy all the time, but that’s no excuse for being querulous. Querulous may remind you of the word query, which means “question.” However, the two words are not closely related. It’s perfectly reasonable to make a query; just don’t be querulous if you don’t like the answer you get. Querulous does share its origins with the word quarrel, which means “argument” — and that’s what’s likely to happen if you complain too much.
Vocabulary lists containing querulous
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"The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
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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.
Even then, Mr. Ackroyd writes, Auden was “dogmatic . . . querulous, assertive and sardonic.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
Against a long and attenuated trill of the viola, Mehretu’s backgrounds become a lurid green or mysterious blue and the black lines of the paintings start to look more querulous.
From New York Times ● Sep. 28, 2022
Fiennes shows us the conceit, followed by the querulous selfishness, with which Göth briefly wrestles with the idea that he might actually want to be good.
From The Guardian ● Jan. 28, 2021
The version she released was much more ambitious, her dramatic vocal performance propelled by querulous strings and surging synths.
From BBC ● Dec. 20, 2019
The second sat close to the flames, feeding them twigs and branches and complaining of the wind in a querulous tone.
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
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.
