Word
petulant
Phoneticspetu·lant
US/ˈpɛtʃəɫənt/
UK/pˈɛtjʊlənt/
Definition
adj. behaving in a bad-tempered and childish way because you are unhappy or frustrated. You use this to describe someone who is acting like a spoiled child.
adj. behaving in a bad-tempered, childish, or sullen manner. Often describes a person who is easily annoyed or who throws a tantrum over minor inconveniences.
Examples
“The petulant child refused to share his toys with his sister.”
“After waiting for an hour in the rain, the petulant customer finally lost his temper with the receptionist.”
“The petulant response from the committee members suggested that their frustration with the proposed budget cuts had already reached a boiling point, making further negotiation impossible.”
Examples
simple
“The petulant child refused to share his toys with his sister.”
contextual
“After waiting for an hour in the rain, the petulant customer finally lost his temper with the receptionist.”
complex
“The petulant response from the committee members suggested that their frustration with the proposed budget cuts had already reached a boiling point, making further negotiation impossible.”
Etymology
From Middle French, from Latin petulāns, akin to petō (“to ask for”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/petulant