querulous

American  

[kwer-uh-luhs, kwer-yuh-] / ˈkwɛr ə ləs, ˈkwɛr yə- /

adjective

1. full of complaints; complaining.

   Synonyms:

   discontented, carping, testy, petulant

   Antonyms:

   contented

2. characterized by or uttered in complaint; peevish.

   a querulous tone; constant querulous reminders of things to be done.

   Synonyms:

   discontented, carping, testy, petulant

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querulous British  

/ ˈkwɛrʊləs, ˈkwɛrjʊ- /

adjective

1. inclined to make whining or peevish complaints

2. characterized by or proceeding from a complaining fretful attitude or disposition

   a querulous tone

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Other Word Forms

• querulously adverb
• querulousness noun
• unquerulous adjective
• unquerulously adverb
• unquerulousness noun

Etymology

Origin of querulous

1490–1500; < Latin querulus, equivalent to quer ( ī ) to complain + -ulus -ulous

Example Sentences

The sound system and Western music collection grew larger, and Ayman, approaching 50 now and gray-haired, moved his querulous wives into separate, lavishly appointed households.

From Washington Post

When Carter acted querulous and sounded shrill, Reagan turned to rtly and asked viewers, "Are you better off than you were four years ago?"

From Salon

True change will only come to the Knicks when the querulous and glowering Knicks owner interrogates his two decades of failure and shows himself the door.

From New York Times

Until then, he’d been responsive, aware, irritable, funny, querulous, weak, confused, furious, loopy, but recognizably himself.

From The New Yorker

Despite the querulous coverage, there was no getting around the facts here, no matter how clever the headlines or inventive the speculation.

From Washington Times