Petulance
noun ·Moderate ·College level
Definitions
- 1 Rudeness, insolence. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"[W]ise men knew, that that, which looked like pride in some, and like petulance in others, would, by experience in affairs, and conversation amongst men, both of which most of them wanted, be in time wrought off […]"
- 2 an irritable petulant feeling wordnet
- 3 An insolent remark or act. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"I believe I was guilty of a petulance, which nothing but my uneasy situation can excuse; if that can."
- 4 Childish impatience or sulkiness; testiness. countable, uncountable
"She […] had shown herself angry and sore, and was now ashamed of her own petulance, and yet unable to discontinue it."
Example
More examples"[W]ise men knew, that that, which looked like pride in some, and like petulance in others, would, by experience in affairs, and conversation amongst men, both of which most of them wanted, be in time wrought off […]"
Etymology
From Middle French pétulance, and its source, Latin petulantia.
More for "petulance"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.