as in irritable
easily irritated or annoyed
a petulant and fussy man who is always blaming everyone else for his problems
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Recent Examples of petulant
Tom Hulce portrayed the musical prodigy Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart as a petulant, bratty young genius with a distinctive laugh, insatiable appetite and endless talent.
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Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 22 Oct. 2025
Heroine Elizabeth is famous for her own refusals, but she’s actually first caught in the middle of two acts of petulant male defiance.
—Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2025
That her response was aggressive, defensive and petulant is even better.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 24 Aug. 2025
Julia Garner has the most subtly complex role as Justine, who trembles in one moment and snaps into petulant fit the next.
—Madison Bloom, Pitchfork, 8 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for petulant
Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 22 Oct. 2025
Heroine Elizabeth is famous for her own refusals, but she’s actually first caught in the middle of two acts of petulant male defiance.
—Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2025
That her response was aggressive, defensive and petulant is even better.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 24 Aug. 2025
Julia Garner has the most subtly complex role as Justine, who trembles in one moment and snaps into petulant fit the next.
—Madison Bloom, Pitchfork, 8 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for petulant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for petulant
Adjective
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This can include feeling irritable, having a low frustration tolerance, feeling easily overstimulated, and having rapid shifts in emotion.—
Korin Miller,
SELF,
20 Jan. 2026
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Accompanying Rayner through these daily adventures were the irritable duck Chelveston (named after his English bomber base) and the gentle dog puppet Cuddly Dudley.—
Michael Peregrine,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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There haven't been fiery and destructive protests.—
Christopher Cann,
USA Today,
16 Jan. 2026
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Workers will be able to relocate from the burning universe of bribes to the fiery one of taxes.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Petulant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/petulant. Accessed 22 Jan. 2026.
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