petulance
/ˈpɛtjʊləns/ noun
Forms petulances
- noun (obsolete) Rudeness, insolence.
- noun (obsolete) An insolent remark or act.
- noun Childish impatience or sulkiness; testiness.
Synonyms
caprice capriciousness moodiness tetchiness irritability crossness fretfulness fussiness peevishness choler
Etymology
From Middle French pétulance, and its source, Latin petulantia.
Webster’s 1913
- noun The quality or state of being petulant; temporary peevishness; pettishness; capricious ill humor. "The petulancy of our words." B. Jonson.
Etymology [L. petulania: cf. F. pétulance. See Petulant.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “petulance”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details