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
In the first Gladiator, Joaquin Phoenix's villain Commodus is more petulant than threatening, only terrifying in his irrationality.
—
Esther Zuckerman, TIME, 22 Nov. 2024
What’s more — the entire thing feels a bit petulant in the face of the looming election.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 18 Oct. 2024
O’Neill’s version of Sterling is loud, petulant, relentlessly childlike, uniquely jarring in his entitlement and obliviousness (for example, in a scene where an assistant brings him news of the leak and Sterling shrugs it off as nothing).
—Hanif Abdurraqib, The New Yorker, 3 July 2024
This petulant idea almost works because actress Amy Adams, in the nameless role, benefits from no longer being overexposed.
—Armond White, National Review, 13 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for petulant 
Esther Zuckerman, TIME, 22 Nov. 2024
What’s more — the entire thing feels a bit petulant in the face of the looming election.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 18 Oct. 2024
O’Neill’s version of Sterling is loud, petulant, relentlessly childlike, uniquely jarring in his entitlement and obliviousness (for example, in a scene where an assistant brings him news of the leak and Sterling shrugs it off as nothing).
—Hanif Abdurraqib, The New Yorker, 3 July 2024
This petulant idea almost works because actress Amy Adams, in the nameless role, benefits from no longer being overexposed.
—Armond White, National Review, 13 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for petulant
Thesaurus Entries Near petulant
Cite this Entry
“Petulant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/petulant. Accessed 9 Feb. 2025.
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