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
Between Dave’s whiny petulance, Edna’s glum watchfulness and their performative mwah-mwah kisses, this couple is a walking talking warning sign.
—
Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
And Monday night’s show of frustration and occasional petulance at Stamford Bridge was precisely the kind of example Pereira does not need from a player supposed to set an example for others to follow.
—Steve Madeley, The Athletic, 21 Jan. 2025
Oh, the petulance, the bristling, the gnashing of teeth.
—Joe Soucheray, Twin Cities, 18 Jan. 2025
The fourth album by these Philadelphia punks is a pristine work in the Sleater-Kinney tradition of petulance: Noise and vulnerability surge in exquisite counterpoint; guitars crunch as satisfyingly as an autumn leaf under one’s heel.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 17 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for petulance
Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
And Monday night’s show of frustration and occasional petulance at Stamford Bridge was precisely the kind of example Pereira does not need from a player supposed to set an example for others to follow.
—Steve Madeley, The Athletic, 21 Jan. 2025
Oh, the petulance, the bristling, the gnashing of teeth.
—Joe Soucheray, Twin Cities, 18 Jan. 2025
The fourth album by these Philadelphia punks is a pristine work in the Sleater-Kinney tradition of petulance: Noise and vulnerability surge in exquisite counterpoint; guitars crunch as satisfyingly as an autumn leaf under one’s heel.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 17 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for petulance
Cite this Entry
“Petulance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/petulance. Accessed 8 Apr. 2025.
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