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GRE vocabulary

petulant

adjectiveHigh-frequency wordMore P words

childishly irritable or sulky over small matters

Word origin: From Latin petulans, impudent or forward.

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In a sentence

Petulant in a sentence

Here are example sentences showing petulant in a sentence.

He grew petulant whenever a meeting ran past lunch.

The candidate's petulant response to a routine question undermined his claim to maturity.

Synonyms
peevishsulkyirritablequerulous
Antonyms
good-naturedagreeablecheerful

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Verbal · Sentence Equivalence

The treaty was hailed as a triumph of diplomacy, yet historians now regard its terms as blank, since they merely postponed the conflicts they claimed to resolve.

Select the two answers that give the sentence the same meaning. 0 of 2 selected.

Usage & nuance

Using “petulant” well

Petulant implies a peevish, sulky reaction out of proportion to a small grievance, suggesting childish bad temper.

Common questions

Questions about “petulant”

Petulant (adjective) means childishly irritable or sulky over small matters
Here is petulant used in an example sentence: "He grew petulant whenever a meeting ran past lunch." Another example: "The candidate's petulant response to a routine question undermined his claim to maturity."
Common synonyms for petulant include peevish, sulky, irritable, querulous.
Antonyms of petulant include good-natured, agreeable, cheerful.
On the GRE, petulant clusters with peevish, sulky, irritable, and querulous, opposing good-natured, agreeable, and cheerful.
Yes. Petulant is a high-frequency GRE word, so it is worth prioritising as you build your vocabulary.

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