How to Use petulant in a Sentence

petulant

adjective
  • Her tone was petulant and angry.
  • The rest of the sports world sees a petulant young star and a coach, who might be in over his head.
    Kent Somers, AZCentral.com, 27 Oct. 2022
  • Fessy is left alone in the volcano to whine like a petulant child.
    Kyndall Cunningham, Vulture, 8 Apr. 2021
  • But that car was a boost bomb, with torque steer to shame a Saab and the demeanor of a petulant teenager.
    Ezra Dyer, Car and Driver, 20 Nov. 2020
  • But, of course, the petulant president would rather take his lectern and stay home.
    Walter Shapiro, The New Republic, 8 Oct. 2020
  • And as a petulant curator of my own tastes, this was enough to turn my nose at it.
    Bolu Babalola, Harper's BAZAAR, 27 May 2021
  • His over-the-top performance is a blend of a petulant child and Kim Jong-Un, with haircut to match.
    Theodore P. Mahne, NOLA.com, 26 Oct. 2017
  • Like a petulant child tired of losing, Beijing tossed the entire thing into the garbage bin.
    Timothy McLaughlin, The Atlantic, 20 Dec. 2021
  • Daniels and Trump: Online, one of them is often lewd, petulant, brash and self-involved.
    Monica Hesse, Sun-Sentinel.com, 12 Mar. 2018
  • She's come off spoiled, petulant and worst of all privileged.
    Joey Guerra, Houston Chronicle, 8 Feb. 2018
  • Oscar, the petulant bird, was lured into a pen after a 50-mph run at a Telluride scouting the route.
    Mark Phelan, Detroit Free Press, 17 Feb. 2020
  • This is more than the frustrated outburst of a petulant woman.
    Washington Post, 13 Jan. 2021
  • By day two Goodman, up to then a shuffling, silent, and petulant presence slumped at the end of the defense table, had a snap in his step.
    Kevin Conley, Town & Country, 24 Dec. 2012
  • At first the cephalopods, like petulant tots, pulled off the glasses—until scientists plied them with treats: live shrimps.
    National Geographic, 19 May 2020
  • So does a trio of warbling rocks: petulant, stubborn creatures who insist on the rules.
    Justin Davidson, Vulture, 24 Nov. 2021
  • When asked, his responses boil down to the equivalent of a one-word answer from a petulant child: Mine!
    Clarence Page, Chicago Tribune, 13 June 2023
  • His petulant begging for a drop at the Memorial did not help matters).
    Daniel Rapaport, SI.com, 6 Aug. 2019
  • The film doesn’t make any effort to explain why Alma loves this petulant genius.
    Lindsey Bahr, kansascity, 18 Jan. 2018
  • If Republicans fail to win control of the Senate, much of the blame will rest on the petulant ex-president.
    Los Angeles Times, 9 Nov. 2022
  • The 19-member cast conjured up an array of voices, from shy but strong-willed to angry and petulant.
    Christopher Arnott, courant.com, 24 May 2021
  • To deny them gifts on birthdays and Christmas because of it would be petulant and a mistake.
    Abigail Van Buren, oregonlive, 22 Dec. 2020
  • Do they ever: A petulant thumb sucker gets his appendages snipped off.
    David L. Coddon, sandiegouniontribune.com, 28 May 2017
  • Jose Llana’s King is more petulant than stubborn but his sturdy voice is an asset to a role that is often cast with non-singers.
    Chris Hewitt, Twin Cities, 9 Mar. 2017
  • All her songs — fast tempo or slow — strike the same petulant, egotistical note.
    Armond White, National Review, 18 Oct. 2023
  • Smith's Dickinson, though, is nothing short of petulant teen rebel.
    Robyn Bahr, Billboard, 28 Oct. 2019
  • And leave the prickly, prissy, petulant Scot somewhere on the side of the road in an unenviable neighborhood.
    Bill Livingston, cleveland.com, 12 Apr. 2018
  • The chief driver of the post-election contention of the past several weeks is the petulant refusal of one man to accept the verdict of the American people.
    The Editors, National Review, 30 Nov. 2020
  • Moods For one thing, James himself was disaffected and petulant before the big trades.
    Bill Livingston, cleveland.com, 5 Mar. 2018
  • Keep the customer happy no matter how ridiculous or petulant the request.
    Wired Staff, WIRED, 1 Nov. 2002
  • In Peru, this event was widely perceived as the petulant betrayal of a sore loser.
    Marcela Valdes, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2018

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'petulant.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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