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querulous

[ kwer-_uh_-l_uh_s, kwer-y_uh_- ]

adjective

1. full of complaints; complaining.
   Synonyms: discontented, carping, testy, petulant
   Antonyms: contented
2. characterized by or uttered in complaint; peevish:
   a querulous tone; constant querulous reminders of things to be done.
   Synonyms: discontented, carping, testy, petulant

/ ˈkwɛrʊləs; ˈkwɛrjʊ- /

adjective

1. inclined to make whining or peevish complaints
2. characterized by or proceeding from a complaining fretful attitude or disposition
   a querulous tone

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Derived Forms

• ˈquerulously, adverb
• ˈquerulousness, noun

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Other Words From

• queru·lous·ly adverb
• queru·lous·ness noun
• un·queru·lous adjective
• un·queru·lous·ly adverb
• un·queru·lous·ness noun

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Word History and Origins

Origin of querulous1

1490–1500;

< Latin querulus, equivalent to quer ( ī ) to complain + -ulus -ulous

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Word History and Origins

Origin of querulous1

C15: from Latin querulus from querī to complain

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Example Sentences

Against a long and attenuated trill of the viola, Mehretu’s backgrounds become a lurid green or mysterious blue and the black lines of the paintings start to look more querulous.

The British novelist Hilary Mantel, who died on Thursday at age 70, left a wide-ranging and hard-to-classify body of work that encompassed memoir, story collections, contemporary novels and brilliant, querulous literary essays.

Snarky and sometimes rude, the verse drama tells of a querulous prince stepping anxiously into the spotlight.

One came across as a quiet, reserved, eloquent, thoughtful force of nature; the other as a boisterous, querulous, troublemaking and sometimes thoughtless and mean force of nature.

But were senior party figures to try this, Mr. Johnson might threaten to call a snap general election, preferring his chances of winning a contest among voters to one among his querulous lawmakers.