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pettishness

pettishness

9.0
Being easily annoyed and angry about small things in a childish way
  • noun
  • /ˈpɛtɪʃnəs/
translation icon : irritabilidad
  • The child's pettishness was evident when she threw a tantrum over not getting the toy she wanted.

Examples

  • He displayed his pettishness when he refused to join the game just because his friend didn't let him choose first.

  • Her constant nagging about small details showed a level of pettishness that frustrated everyone in the meeting.

  • Given how grievous the rest of these sins are, to complain about the book's repackaging may seem like mere pettishness.

    Blog text (12)

Synonyms

temper
vspettishness
237 3.6

A sudden short burst of anger

is about ongoing petty moodiness rather than sudden explosive anger
irritability
vspettishness
8 4.2

Being easily annoyed or quick to become angry

is the same tendency but framed as small or petty annoyance
petulance
vspettishness
5 9.0

Being easily annoyed and acting childish

is similar but stresses petty annoyance and childish attitude
crankiness
vspettishness
3 6.0

Being easily annoyed and acting in odd, fussy ways

focuses more on childish pettiness rather than eccentric fussiness
surliness
vspettishness
1 7.7

A way of behaving that is angry and unfriendly

is less hostile and more focused on small, childish annoyances
peevishness
vspettishness
1 7.3

A tendency to become easily annoyed and impatient

is more about petty, small-minded irritation rather than simple impatience
crabbiness
vspettishness
1 5.5

A mood of being easily annoyed and bad-tempered

is more focused on small, childish irritations than general unpleasantness
snappishness
vspettishness
1 8.5

A habit of giving short, angry answers when annoyed

is more about ongoing petty moodiness than brief sharp replies
fussiness
vspettishness
1 5.7

A state of being easily upset or hard to please

leans more toward petty sulkiness than careful complaint about details
touchiness
vspettishness
1 7.2

A tendency to be easily upset by small remarks or criticism

describes sensitivity specifically to offense rather than general petty mood
crabbedness
vspettishness
9.9

Often being bad-tempered and hard to please

is narrower, highlighting petty or childish causes of irritability
crotchetiness
vspettishness
  • UK
9.9

A tendency to be odd, fussy, or easily annoyed

is more about small, childish annoyance rather than quirky fussiness
biliousness
vspettishness
  • Literature
9.9

A tendency to become angry easily

is milder and more about petty irritation than explosive anger

Antonyms

48 4.4

A calm, peaceful feeling without worry

9 2.7

A state without strong feelings or worry in your mind

How Irritable

irascibility
  • Formal
1 9.3
ill temper
1 4.6
pettishness
9.0
irritability
8 4.2
calmness
9 2.7

Surface Forms

pettishness singular
pettishnesses plural

Morphology

pettishness = pettish (transparent) = pet + ish + ness

The suffix '-ness' is transparently added to form a noun indicating the state or quality of being pettish.

Etymology

Pettishness comes from pettish, which is related to petty ('small') and pet ('favored' or 'spoiled'). A helpful way to remember pettishness is to imagine a small, spoiled 'pet' who quickly gets annoyed over little things, which explains why the word means being easily irritated or bad-tempered in a childish way.