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English speakers have called fretful whiners querulous since late medieval times. The Middle English form of the word, querelose, was an adaptation of the Latin adjective, querulus, which in turn evolved from the Latin verb queri, meaning "to complain." Queri is also an ancestor of the English words quarrel and quarrelsome, but it isn't an ancestor of the noun query, meaning "question." No need to complain that we're being coy; we're happy to let you know that query descends from the Latin verb quaerere, meaning "to ask."
Examples of querulous in a Sentence
Adjective
car trips that were frequently spoiled by a couple of querulous passengers in the back
Recent Examples on the Web
Amy Davidson Sorkin, New Yorker, 18 Apr. 2026
In fact, the B-2 bombers were still in the air with hours to go before reaching home when Van Hollen issued his querulous statement.
—Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 5 Mar. 2026
Trying to Kill Each Other' And Walken is marvelous — querulous, petty, cruel — as the Emperor.
—Tom Gliatto, Peoplemag, 29 Feb. 2024
Instead, Gerwig and Baumbach promote querulous sloganeering.
—Armond White, National Review, 19 July 2023
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Adjective
The American right, too, is in a shifting, querulous state.
—Amy Davidson Sorkin, New Yorker, 18 Apr. 2026
In fact, the B-2 bombers were still in the air with hours to go before reaching home when Van Hollen issued his querulous statement.
—Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 5 Mar. 2026
Trying to Kill Each Other' And Walken is marvelous — querulous, petty, cruel — as the Emperor.
—Tom Gliatto, Peoplemag, 29 Feb. 2024
Instead, Gerwig and Baumbach promote querulous sloganeering.
—Armond White, National Review, 19 July 2023
See All Example Sentences for querulous
Cite this Entry
“Querulous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/querulous. Accessed 12 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
querulous
adjective
quer·u·lous
ˈkwer-(y)ə-ləs 
1
: always eager to complain
2
: showing a complaining attitude
a querulous voice
querulously
adverb
querulousness
noun
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