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
Olivero’s riveting performance mingles entitled teenage petulance with darker reserves of rage, all crammed behind a feline mean-girl demeanor.
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Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 18 Feb. 2025
There was one flare-up of petulance with 6:53 left in the game.
—Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 27 Feb. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for petulance
Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 18 Feb. 2025
There was one flare-up of petulance with 6:53 left in the game.
—Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 27 Feb. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for petulance
Cite this Entry
“Petulance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/petulance. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
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