quer·u·lous

[kwer-uh-luhs, kwer-yuh-]
adjective
1.
full of complaints; complaining.
2.
characterized by or uttered in complaint; peevish: a querulous tone; constant querulous reminders of things to be done.

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

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


1, 2. petulant, testy; caviling, carping, discontented.


1. contented.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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World English Dictionary
querulous (ˈkwɛrʊləs, ˈkwɛrjʊ-) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
adj
1.  inclined to make whining or peevish complaints
2.  characterized by or proceeding from a complaining fretful attitude or disposition: a querulous tone
 
[C15: from Latin querulus from querī to complain]
 
'querulously
 
adv
 
'querulousness
 
n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

querulous
c.1500, from O.Fr. querelos, from L.L. querulosus, from L. querulus "full of complaints, complaining," from queri "to complain." Retains the original vowel of quarrel (1).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
His voice had a youthful, slightly querulous timbre.
Gale added that he is not just being querulous when he raises the question of
  logical impossibility.
Adrift in a clueless no-man's-land, I felt my moods range from querulous to
  despondent.
His high, querulous voice is heard in every colloquy.
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