as in irritability
readiness to show annoyance or impatience
I do not appreciate your petulance and eagerness to argue
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Recent Examples of petulance
But six months on against Liverpool, Paqueta’s petulance is a slap in the face to everyone associated with West Ham.
—
Roshane Thomas, New York Times, 1 Dec. 2025
True, its narrative was hard to follow, its dialogue abstruse, but why the petulance?
—Peter Bart, Deadline, 6 Nov. 2025
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
In an obvious display of childish petulance, a significant number of Democratic representatives in Texas abandoned their jobs and responsibilities to the voters by fleeing to Illinois.
—For The Carroll County Times, Baltimore Sun, 11 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for petulance
Roshane Thomas, New York Times, 1 Dec. 2025
True, its narrative was hard to follow, its dialogue abstruse, but why the petulance?
—Peter Bart, Deadline, 6 Nov. 2025
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
In an obvious display of childish petulance, a significant number of Democratic representatives in Texas abandoned their jobs and responsibilities to the voters by fleeing to Illinois.
—For The Carroll County Times, Baltimore Sun, 11 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for petulance
Recent Examples of Synonyms for petulance
Noun
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Restricting them can increase irritability, low mood, food preoccupation, and risk of binge eating.—
Maggie O'Neill,
Verywell Health,
16 Mar. 2026
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Sleep also plays a major role in emotional regulation and cognitive performance as insufficient sleep can impair attention, decision-making and reaction time while also increasing irritability and sensitivity to stress.—
Daryl Austin,
USA Today,
1 Mar. 2026
Noun
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These differences were stronger in young people with more behavior problems that are shown outwardly, such as aggression, frequent anger, irritability, and refusing to follow rules.—
Crista Marchesseault,
Hartford Courant,
4 Apr. 2026
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Taipei, Taiwan — In the face of growing Chinese military aggression, Taiwan has increased defense spending, extended mandatory conscription and revamped its combat exercises, signaling its determination to fight off a potential invasion.—
Stephanie Yang,
CNN Money,
4 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Petulance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/petulance. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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