petulant

[ pech-uh-luhnt ]
See synonyms for petulant on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. moved to or showing sudden, impatient irritation, especially over some trifling annoyance: a petulant toss of the head.

Origin of petulant

1
First recorded in 1590–1600; from Latin petulant- (stem of petulāns ) “impudent,” akin to petere “to seek, head for”

Other words for petulant

Other words from petulant

  • pet·u·lant·ly, adverb
  • un·pet·u·lant, adjective

Words Nearby petulant

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use petulant in a sentence

  • They seem, in fact, like cranky, petulant children, coked to the gills.

  • "It is very tiresome," said Ethel, nearly convinced, but in a slightly petulant voice.

    The Daisy Chain | Charlotte Yonge
  • Now there was something half tired, half petulant, and wholly puzzled about her face as she swept into the room.

    A Butterfly on the Wheel | Cyril Arthur Edward Ranger Gull
  • They are petulant, capricious, and despite their apparent energy they accomplish nothing.

  • With a noisy, petulant fluttering of foliage the bushes sprang back to their former position.

    Menotah | Ernest G. Henham
  • He noted, too, that her gorgeous ash-blond hair had been carefully "done," piled in high masses above her petulant face.

    The Winning Clue | James Hay, Jr.

British Dictionary definitions for petulant

petulant

/ (ˈpɛtjʊlənt) /


adjective
  1. irritable, impatient, or sullen in a peevish or capricious way

Origin of petulant

1
C16: via Old French from Latin petulāns bold, from petulāre (unattested) to attack playfully, from petere to assail

Derived forms of petulant

  • petulance or petulancy, noun
  • petulantly, adverb

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