petulance

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petulance

/ˈpɛtjʊləns/
/ˈpɛt͡ʃələns/

Where it comes from

From Middle French pétulance, and its source, Latin petulantia.

noun petulances

countable, obsolete, uncountable Rudeness, insolence. [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 […]
countable, obsolete, uncountable An insolent remark or act. I believe I was guilty of a petulance, which nothing but my uneasy situation can excuse; if that can.
countable, uncountable Childish impatience or sulkiness; testiness. She […] had shown herself angry and sore, and was now ashamed of her own petulance, and yet unable to discontinue it.
Similar: caprice, capriciousness, moodiness, tetchiness

Translations

Every language

noun childish impatience or sulkiness

Português	petulância
Deutsch	Gereiztheit, Launenhaftigkeit, Launigkeit, Kapriziertheit
Italiano	petulanza

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Cite this

MLA

"petulance." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/petulance. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

petulance. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/petulance

Chicago

"petulance." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/petulance.

BibTeX

@misc{petulance_2026,
  title = {petulance},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/petulance},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}