petulant

adjective

ˈpe-chə-lənt How to pronounce petulant (audio)
Definition of petulantnext
as in irritable
easily irritated or annoyed a petulant and fussy man who is always blaming everyone else for his problems

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of petulant Lou Reed modeled the sort of petulant sing-talking that characterizes her verses. — Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 30 July 2026 But while Argentina was being petty and petulant, Spain was practically perfect in every way. — Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 20 July 2026 Tom Holland comes across as a vulnerable princeling without being petulant or drippy. — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 17 July 2026 Not to mention battling nerds, LARPers, and a particularly petulant McPoyle clan at the Renaissance Faire or sportswashing their way back into the good graces of their community by sponsoring a Little League team. — Joe Otterson, Variety, 15 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for petulant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for petulant
  1. irritable
  2. fiery
Adjective
  • Could be because for much of the running time, Abrams’ Jay Gardiner is up against what looks like a very large irritable sphincter.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Coach There’s no better feeling than walking into your last show of the day, irritable and hungry, only to discover that snacks are being served.
    — Anna Grace Lee, Vogue, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of irritable
Adjective
  • Bongulo Paneer — cooked in bamboo, served with a coconut and capsicum poriyal that blends peanut chutney, acidic gongura sour cream and fiery gunpowder.
    — Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 15 Oct. 2026
  • An 18-year-old Ida resident was killed after a fiery crash on Thursday morning in Monroe County, Michigan.
    — Paula Wethington, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of fiery

Browse Nearby Words

petulance
petulant
pewter
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Petulant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/petulant. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All