How to Use petulance in a Sentence

petulance

noun
Definition of petulancenext
Synonyms for petulancenext
  • I do not appreciate your petulance and eagerness to argue.
  • The loser was Joe Biden, who struck the odd note of petulance.
    — J.e.f. | Washington, The Economist, 5 Sep. 2019
  • But a few months later, the mighty gate showed signs of petulance.
    — Murr Brewster, The Christian Science Monitor, 28 June 2022
  • And at the root of many of his conflicts with the buying public is his petulance and very thin skin.
    — David Segal, New York Times, 10 Mar. 2017
  • Now Ina thought of Agata, Marek’s mother, of her woe and petulance.
    — Ottessa Moshfegh, Harper’s Magazine , 25 May 2022
  • This petulance was all of a piece with how Trump behaved during the campaign.
    — John Cassidy, The New Yorker, 11 Jan. 2017
  • His mad, blubbery petulance isn’t working for him but against him.
    — Peggy Noonan, WSJ, 27 July 2017
  • But part of the answer is that his petulance and narcissism are boundless.
    — Amy Davidson Sorkin, The New Yorker, 4 Nov. 2020
  • The above posts do veer into the ad hominem territory and express a lot of petulance.
    — Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 10 Dec. 2010
  • Wilson will bring similar artistry to Homer’s other great epic, the story of Achilles’ doomed petulance in the 10th year of the Trojan War.
    — Washington Post Staff, Washington Post, 9 Jan. 2023
  • Dembélé also scored in the demolition of Julen Lopetegui's side, but his petulance at the end of the match has cost Ernesto Valverde dearly.
    — SI.com, 9 Oct. 2019
  • At best, cancel culture is a kind of chronic petulance.
    — WSJ, 19 Oct. 2021
  • There was a general petulance to his display, and that is a major concern for Brazil.
    — Jonathan Wilson, SI.com, 22 June 2018
  • As for petulance, rape, murder, and kidnapping will do that.
    — Joe Snell, Washington Post, 19 Oct. 2023
  • Or the real Spicer throwing the real lectern at somebody in a fit of what can seem reflexive petulance?
    — Vanityfair.com, VanityFair.com, 8 Feb. 2017
  • The Suns invested too much (four years, $132.9 million) for petulance at playoff time.
    — Jeff Zillgitt, USA TODAY, 9 May 2023
  • Even worse, Newton didn't ignore the neckwear mandate out of petulance.
    — Scott Christian, Esquire, 5 Dec. 2016
  • Call it petulance with precision and a lot of his contemporaries can take a few pointers from him.
    — Jon Wertheim, SI.com, 4 Sep. 2019
  • Pundits on the left are fond of reminding us of how Trump storms and fulminates, the White House itself unable to contain his petulance and rage.
    — Fred Turner, Harper's magazine, 10 Jan. 2019
  • But the delay did represent perhaps the most perplexing one, based less on proof than petulance.
    — Washington Post, 8 Nov. 2020
  • And there’s indeed a petulance, and an inside-jokiness, to the Voidz’s experimental world, as well as to White’s.
    — Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 2 Apr. 2018
  • Such petulance is beneath the office of mayor and an insult to all New Orleanians.
    — NOLA.com, 9 Dec. 2020
  • But Kline has Baumbach’s nose for bourgeois cultural tourism and his ear for the artist’s particular mix of petulance and self-regard.
    — Vulture, 25 May 2022
  • Whatever the merits of each approach, the petulance and the lack of coördination confused New Yorkers, and sent a portion of them into a rage.
    — Nick Paumgarten, The New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2020
  • The men are stuck with the least developed parts across the board, especially Antonio and Mateo, who both show up pouting and remain in a state of low-key petulance for two hours.
    — Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Jan. 2022
  • And Winbush’s disengagement from her colleagues, amid many of her own mistakes, winds up in a relatable sort of petulance.
    — Daniel D'addario, Variety, 10 July 2023
  • Props to Bob Jones for supporting his driver and having a sense of humor about his occasional petulance.
    — Michelle R. Martinelli, USA TODAY, 15 Oct. 2017
  • No team wants to appear to be seen placating the petulance of a frustrated player by showering him with millions of dollars.
    — Carlos Monarrez, Detroit Free Press, 24 Oct. 2020
  • Trump brings petulance in 140-character tweets night after night, or sometimes at dusk or dawn, rising up against his enemies.
    — George Diaz, OrlandoSentinel.com, 25 Aug. 2017
  • Nick Saban showed petulance this week and indecision during his weekly press conference earlier this week, Paul Finebaum said.
    — Mark Heim | Mheim@al.com, al, 30 Aug. 2023

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'petulance.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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