petulant

adjective

pet·u·lant ˈpe-chə-lənt

Synonyms of petulant next

: insolent or rude in speech or behavior

: characterized by temporary or capricious ill humor : peevish

petulantly adverb

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Petulant Has Latin Roots

Petulant is one of many English words that are related to the Latin verb petere, which means "to go to," "to attack," "to seek," or "to request." "Petere" is a relative of the Latin adjective petulans ("impudent"), from which "petulant" was derived. Some other words with connections to "petere" are "compete" and "appetite." "Competere," the Late Latin precursor to "compete," is a combination of the prefix com- and the verb "petere." The joining of ad- and petere led to "appetere" ("to strive after"), and eventually to Latin appetitus, the source of our "appetite." Additional descendants of "petere" are "petition," "perpetual," and "impetus."

Examples of petulant in a Sentence

Oxford's denial of her [Margaret Thatcher's] honorary degree in 1984 was no petulant fluke but an accurate measure of her unpopularity with the whole profession. —

Harold Perkin, Times Literary Supplement, 26 June 1992

In the hot, petulant little cockpit she was triumphant—drunk with anger, defiance, and the beginnings of relief. —

Sebastian Faulks, Independent on Sunday (London), 25 Nov. 1990

Sometimes, under … rapid-fire questioning, he became petulant and quibbled over words in a way that suggested a close reading of the law. —

Frances FitzGerald, New Yorker, 16 Oct. 1989

Mouth petulant but its hardness in it, behind it. Looking at that mouth you felt her teeth in you … —

Jayne Anne Phillips, Black Tickets, (1975) 1979

Her tone was petulant and angry. a petulant and fussy man who is always blaming everyone else for his problems

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

The male characters are, typically, petulant narcissists with perpetual sneers who insult and cajole their female love interests into almost invariably unhealthy relationships. —

Josh Bell, Vulture, 27 Dec. 2024 In the first Gladiator, Joaquin Phoenix's villain Commodus is more petulant than threatening, only terrifying in his irrationality. —

Esther Zuckerman, TIME, 22 Nov. 2024 What’s more — the entire thing feels a bit petulant in the face of the looming election. —

Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 18 Oct. 2024 O’Neill’s version of Sterling is loud, petulant, relentlessly childlike, uniquely jarring in his entitlement and obliviousness (for example, in a scene where an assistant brings him news of the leak and Sterling shrugs it off as nothing). —

Hanif Abdurraqib, The New Yorker, 3 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for petulant