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View synonyms for querulous

querulous

[ kwer-uh-luhs, kwer-yuh- ]

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



querulous

/ 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

“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
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Derived Forms

  • ˈquerulously, adverb
  • ˈquerulousness, noun
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Other Words From

  • queru·lous·ly adverb
  • queru·lous·ness noun
  • un·queru·lous adjective
  • un·queru·lous·ly adverb
  • un·queru·lous·ness noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of querulous1

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

Origin of querulous1

C15: from Latin querulus from querī to complain
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Example Sentences

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.

The British novelist Hilary Mantel, who died on Thursday at age 70, left a wide-ranging and hard-to-classify body of work that encompassed memoir, story collections, contemporary novels and brilliant, querulous literary essays.

Snarky and sometimes rude, the verse drama tells of a querulous prince stepping anxiously into the spotlight.

One came across as a quiet, reserved, eloquent, thoughtful force of nature; the other as a boisterous, querulous, troublemaking and sometimes thoughtless and mean force of nature.

But were senior party figures to try this, Mr. Johnson might threaten to call a snap general election, preferring his chances of winning a contest among voters to one among his querulous lawmakers.

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