Petulant

Practice This Word

Irritable or easily annoyed; displaying ill humor and a tendency to snap at others.

adjective

Petulant

Irritable or easily annoyed; displaying ill humor and a tendency to snap at others.

adjective

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Imagine This

There is a "pet-you-lent" shop where you can rent a pet of your choice for a fee. Since the pets switch from home to home, they do not get the proper treatment and love compared to ordinary pets. As a result, the pets in the shop are always ill-tempered!

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Sounds Like

PEH-too-luhnt

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Looks Like

peevish, petty

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Remember This

Petulant describes behavior (outbursts, irritability) that is self-centered and immature; it implies childish irritability rather than a serious temper.

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Other Forms

petulancenoun

petulantlyadverb

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Connect With

irritable, peevish, ill-tempered, sulky, waspish

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Note

Common misuse: don't confuse petulant with merely cranky or angry; petulant emphasizes childish irritability and a quick, spiteful temper.

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Study Deeper

Examples

The student's petulant reply showed he was more upset about the distraction than the issue at hand.
Her petulant mood made it hard for anyone to cooperate with her.

Synonyms

irritablepeevishsulkywaspishcranky

Antonyms

even-temperedamiableplacid

Etymology

From French petulant, from Latin petulans (present participle of petulare 'to behave insolently'), related to petere 'to seek, attack'; entered English in the 16th–17th centuries.

Mnemonic

Petulant = PET you LENT. Imagine a child who pets a friend but then lends something back with a grim, irritable reaction; the memory cue is the 'pet you lent' sound and the idea of sudden irritability.

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