petulant

adjective

pet·u·lant ˈpe-chə-lənt

Synonyms of petulant

: 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 may have changed its meaning over the years, but it has retained its status as “word most people would not use to describe themselves in a job interview.” Hailing from Middle French and Latin, petulant began its English tenure in the late 16th century with the meaning recorded in our unabridged dictionary as “wanton or immodest in speech or behavior”—in other words, “lewd” or “obscene.” The word eventually softened, at least somewhat, from describing those who are forward in—shall we say—prurient ways, to those who are forward by being merely rude and angrily bold. Today the word is most commonly used to describe someone acting snippy and snippety, snappish and snappy, displaying an often childish ill or short temper of the kind that tends to arise from annoyance at not getting one’s way.

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

Recent Examples on the Web

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But there has always been a playfulness to Dončić, an awareness of pleasure, even in his most petulant moments. —Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2025 One skeptical spectator who leaves in disgust suffers an accident while driving away, presumably caused by the petulant master’s psychic powers. —Dennis Harvey, Variety, 3 Aug. 2025 Year: 2022 Director: Jafar Panahi Runtime: 1h 47m Panahi’s most recent release available for streaming, No Bears, is worlds away from his first petulant responses to the regime’s ban on his filmmaking. —Tiara Ataii, Vulture, 24 June 2025 Not to mention the similarities with our petulant current president, of course. —Matt Zoller Seitz, Vulture, 16 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for petulant