petunia

noun

pe·​tu·​nia pi-ˈtün-yə 

-ˈtyün-

: any of a genus (Petunia) of tropical South American herbs of the nightshade family that are commonly grown as annuals for their fragrant, colorful, trumpet-shaped flowers

Illustration of petunia

Examples of petunia in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Some petunia varieties, such as Wave petunias and Supertunias, are self-cleaning and do not require deadheading to keep plants blooming. —Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 9 May 2026

In any event, colchicine has been utilized in creating bigger petunias, lilies, marigolds, larger and more vigorous strawberries and blueberries, and spearmint and chamomile with a higher than usual concentration of essential oils. —Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 7 May 2026

Imagine walking into your local garden center on a Tuesday morning and being told you can’t browse the petunias because there’s a rogue otter loose inside. —Samantha Agate, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Apr. 2026

Roberta grabbed a petunia and inserted it in the back of the puppy. —Jerry Saltz, Vulture, 20 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from obsolete French petun tobacco, from Tupi petɨ́ma

First Known Use

1825, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for petunia

• dyspareunia

Kids Definition

petunia

noun

pe·​tu·​nia pi-ˈt(y)ün-yə 

: any of a genus of tropical South American herbs of the nightshade family widely grown for their showy funnel-shaped flowers