petulant

Petulant, a.

Etymology: [L. petulans, -antis, prop., making slight attacks upon, from a lost dim. of petere to fall upon, to attack: cf. F. pétulant. See Petition.]

1. Forward; pert; insolent; wanton. [Obs.] Burton.

2. Capriciously fretful; characterized by ill-natured freakishness; irritable. "Petulant moods." Macaulay.

Syn. -- Irritable; ill-humored; peevish; cross; fretful; querulous.

Shades of meaning

Fernald has no entry of its own for petulant; he lists it under perverse.

Where he writes about it:

The petulant person frets, but may comply; the perverse individual may be smooth or silent, but is wilfully intractable. — from perverse

Synonyms

perverse contrary factious fractious froward intractable obstinate stubborn ungovernable untoward wayward wilful

Antonyms

accommodating amenable complaisant compliant genial governable kind obliging

etymology Webster’s online