How to Use petulance in a Sentence

petulance

noun

• I do not appreciate your petulance and eagerness to argue.
• But a few months later, the mighty gate showed signs of petulance.
  — Murr Brewster, The Christian Science Monitor, 28 June 2022
• His mad, blubbery petulance isn’t working for him but against him.
  — Peggy Noonan, WSJ, 27 July 2017
• The loser was Joe Biden, who struck the odd note of petulance.
  — J.e.f. | Washington, The Economist, 5 Sep. 2019
• And at the root of many of his conflicts with the buying public is his petulance and very thin skin.
  — David Segal, New York Times, 10 Mar. 2017
• This petulance was all of a piece with how Trump behaved during the campaign.
  — John Cassidy, The New Yorker, 11 Jan. 2017
• But part of the answer is that his petulance and narcissism are boundless.
  — Amy Davidson Sorkin, The New Yorker, 4 Nov. 2020
• The synths sound terrible now, and the petulance is creeping in, which does him no favors.
  — Christopher Bonanos, Vulture, 18 July 2025
• The above posts do veer into the ad hominem territory and express a lot of petulance.
  — Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 10 Dec. 2010
• Florida has had enough of pettiness, politic stunts and petulance.
  — Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 Jan. 2026
• Now Ina thought of Agata, Marek’s mother, of her woe and petulance.
  — Ottessa Moshfegh, Harper’s Magazine , 25 May 2022
• Call it petulance with precision and a lot of his contemporaries can take a few pointers from him.
  — Jon Wertheim, SI.com, 4 Sep. 2019
• Even worse, Newton didn't ignore the neckwear mandate out of petulance.
  — Scott Christian, Esquire, 5 Dec. 2016
• There was a general petulance to his display, and that is a major concern for Brazil.
  — Jonathan Wilson, SI.com, 22 June 2018
• But the delay did represent perhaps the most perplexing one, based less on proof than petulance.
  — Washington Post, 8 Nov. 2020
• Andrew’s response is more petulance; more younger brother than the adult, aging son of the sovereign.
  — Jack King, Vulture, 19 Sep. 2024
• True, its narrative was hard to follow, its dialogue abstruse, but why the petulance?
  — Peter Bart, Deadline, 6 Nov. 2025
• Or the real Spicer throwing the real lectern at somebody in a fit of what can seem reflexive petulance?
  — Vanityfair.com, VanityFair.com, 8 Feb. 2017
• The album’s other highlights are extreme expressions of rage and petulance.
  — Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 19 Apr. 2024
• The sense of entitlement and petulance on display is staggering.
  — Jeffrey Blehar, National Review, 13 Dec. 2024
• Warren deserves kudos for bucking the trend of petulance exhibited by too many Democrats that night.
  — Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 26 Feb. 2026
• No team wants to appear to be seen placating the petulance of a frustrated player by showering him with millions of dollars.
  — Carlos Monarrez, Detroit Free Press, 24 Oct. 2020
• Such petulance does not merit responsible high public office.
  — Letters To The Editor, Hartford Courant, 15 June 2026
• So there’s a feeling of vindictiveness and petulance that’s in there, but there’s also a practicality to it, too.
  — Max Gao, HollywoodReporter, 21 Sep. 2025
• Such petulance is beneath the office of mayor and an insult to all New Orleanians.
  — NOLA.com, 9 Dec. 2020
• And Winbush’s disengagement from her colleagues, amid many of her own mistakes, winds up in a relatable sort of petulance.
  — Daniel D'addario, Variety, 10 July 2023
• Trump brings petulance in 140-character tweets night after night, or sometimes at dusk or dawn, rising up against his enemies.
  — George Diaz, OrlandoSentinel.com, 25 Aug. 2017
• Seeing Green Day live is kind of brat, the petulance of Armstrong’s early years well in line with what Charli tries to do now.
  — Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 15 Apr. 2025
• Props to Bob Jones for supporting his driver and having a sense of humor about his occasional petulance.
  — Michelle R. Martinelli, USA TODAY, 15 Oct. 2017
• But Kline has Baumbach’s nose for bourgeois cultural tourism and his ear for the artist’s particular mix of petulance and self-regard.
  — Vulture, 25 May 2022