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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.

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
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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