What does petulant mean?
Word: Petulant
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Petulant means sulking or bad-tempered in a childish way, especially when you cannot have what you want.
Synonyms: sulky, peevish
Antonyms: good-humoured
How do you spell petulant?
Syllables: pet - u - lant
Tricky part: The ending is ant, not ent. Both sound the same in speech, so pupils often write petulent.
Watch out for: petulent, petulint
Memory tip: Arrogant, defiant and this moody adjective could sit together in a sulk: all three end in ant.
Petulant in a sentence
Example 1: The petulant prince in the story stamped his foot whenever he lost a game.
Example 2: With a petulant shrug, Kabir turned away and refused to join the team.
Example 3: Her petulant reply surprised the teacher, who had only asked her to wait.
Fun Fact
When it first came into English in the 1500s, this adjective meant cheeky. The sense of a childish sulk arrived much later, in the late 1700s.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
pettulant
a) e
b) u
c) l
d) t
Show answer
d) t. The short e needs no doubling of the next letter here.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the letters in the sentence and choose the word they make:
A elpanutt child stamped and refused to leave the swings when the park was closing.
a) pleasant
b) petulant
c) patient
d) prudent
Show answer
b) petulant. Stamping shows a sulk. Pleasant has no u, prudent no l and patient neither, so the jumble fits one word.
Spell-o-Spell
Three of these words are spelt correctly. Choose the meaning of the misspelt word:
1. diffident 2. garulous 3. magnanimous 4. petulant
a) fond of talking about unimportant things
b) shy and lacking in confidence
c) generous and forgiving towards others
d) moody and cross like a small child
Show answer
a) fond of talking about unimportant things. Garrulous has a double r.
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word petulant as used in the sentence:
The petulant child at the next table grumbled through the whole meal.
a) grumpy
b) cheerful
c) sullen
d) irritable
Show answer
b) cheerful. A cheerful child is happy and pleasant to be with.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which action is petulant?
a) flinging a game aside in a huff
b) practising for the next game
c) shaking hands with the winner
d) asking politely for a rematch
Show answer
a) flinging a game aside in a huff
2. An author who describes a king as petulant wants readers to see him as ____
a) wise and slow to speak
b) immature and easily put out
c) poor and short of friends
d) brave and ready for hardship
Show answer
b) immature and easily put out
