querulousness

noun

Definition of querulousnessnext
as in peevishness

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for querulousness
  1. irritability
  2. petulance
  3. testiness
  4. crankiness
  5. surliness
  6. grumpiness
  7. grouchiness
  8. fractiousness
Noun
  • This could, in turn, trigger feelings of restlessness and irritability, not to mention the lack of clarity brought on by the moon transiting this Water sign.
    — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 2 Aug. 2026
  • Capsaicin, the natural chemical compound in chili peppers, can cause severe irritability in a feline's gastrointestinal system.
    — Pat Mueller, USA Today, 28 July 2026
Definition of irritability
Noun
  • Cusick and Kretschmann offer complementary chords of variable petulance and insecurity, as newcomer Cuoso ably negotiates her character’s shifting ambiguities.
    — Dennis Harvey, Variety, 31 July 2026
  • France’s challenges came from external provocation, first the petulance of the Paraguayan team, but then comments widely condemned as racist by a Paraguayan politician.
    — Adam Crafton, New York Times, 16 July 2026
Definition of petulance
Noun
  • The Warriors trailed by 11 points after a first quarter notable mostly for some late Golden State testiness.
    — Ron Kroichick, San Francisco Chronicle, 2 Jan. 2026
  • Corbett said the testiness started in Florida and returned with the team to Charlotte.
    — Joseph Person, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2025
Definition of testiness
Noun
  • How to handle it A lot of Virgo’s crankiness can be soothed with helping them get organized and practice self-compassion.
    — Maressa Brown, Parents, 18 June 2026
  • Bumping into someone wasn’t met with frustration, but with a grin and a comment about the Knicks, as if the entire city had agreed to give each other a pass from the stereotypical crankiness for one single night.
    — Antonio Ferme, Variety, 14 June 2026
Definition of crankiness
Noun
  • Despite Nora’s initial surliness, Alice wins her over a bit by offering her blazer to a young witness who is supposed to appear in court the next day.
    — Erin Qualey, Vulture, 27 July 2026
  • Dani’s surliness has evaporated.
    — Harpers Magazine, Harpers Magazine, 23 Sep. 2025
Definition of surliness
Noun
  • Newcastle just about hauled themselves back from the precipice, but this has been a faith-shaker of a season and, at times, grumpiness has set in.
    — George Caulkin, New York Times, 25 May 2026
  • Allowing your child to sleep as normal will prevent grumpiness and diminish jet lag.
    — Jordi Lippe-McGraw, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Feb. 2017
Definition of grumpiness
Noun
  • Vince Gilligan moved to Apple and returned to his X-Files roots for the sci-fi horror dramatic comedy Pluribus, which used its ultra-mysterious and yet ultra-familiar genre trappings for a droll meditation on the eternal clash between collective joy and individual grouchiness.
    — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 17 Nov. 2025
  • Emily is also struggling with Annabelle, who has inherited her mom’s attitude and the grouchiness of any adolescent forced to grow up with an Evolution Media camera crew in her home.
    — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2025
Definition of grouchiness
Noun
  • Household names such as Aretha Franklin and Tina Turner get their due, as well as others whose talent, determination, and, yes, fractiousness cement their place in the canon, including the otherworldly Grace Jones, the salsa queen Celia Cruz, and the triple threat Rita Moreno.
    — Emma Sarappo, The Atlantic, 12 June 2026
  • Although much of the country’s instability is rooted in its internal fractiousness and troubled transition from monarchy to republican democracy, many Nepalis believe India’s meddling has deepened their endemic political crisis.
    — MUHIB RAHMAN, Foreign Affairs, 12 Nov. 2025
Definition of fractiousness
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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querulous
querulousness
query
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Cite this Entry

“Querulousness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/querulousness. Accessed 6 Aug. 2026.

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