English Explanatory Dictionary

petulant

English dictionary entry

Meanings

adj
  1. Childishly irritable.
  2. Forward; pert; insolent; wanton.

Pronunciation

/ˈpɛt͡ʃʊlənt/ /ˈpɛtjʊlənt/ /ˈpɛt͡ʃələnt/ /ˈpɛtjələnt/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-petulant.wav LL-Q1860 (eng)-JutishMale-petulant.wav

Word forms

petulant more petulant most petulant

Etymology

From Middle French, from Latin petulāns, akin to petō (“to ask for”).

Synonyms

bad-tempered crabby grouchy huffy atrabilious bilious bitchy brainish cantankerous carnaptious choleric crabbit cranky crotchety dyspeptic edgy fantoddish fiery fractious fretful grumpy grotchy hissy hot-livered hot-tempered hotheaded humpy ill-natured ill-tempered irascible irritable liverish out of sorts ornery (chiefly US)} peevish pettish petulant prickly quick-tempered querulous raspy ratty short-tempered snappish snappy snippety snippish snippy snitchy splenetic stressy surly temperamental testy tetchy tetty thin-skinned thorny touchy twitchy

Antonyms

easygoing

Derived words

petulantly unpetulant
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