querulous
2
9.4
- adjective
- /ˈkwɛrələs/
- Formal
:
quejoso
- The child became querulous when she was told it was time to leave the playground.
Examples
-
She spoke in a querulous tone, complaining about the long wait at the doctor's office.
-
His querulous remarks during the meeting annoyed everyone and made it hard to focus.
-
The old man was querulous but trying to keep calm.
Fiction book (2001) -
Tom turned to give Junior Bud a querulous look.
Fiction book (2001) -
" You must have missed us last time," she was querulous.
Fiction book (1993) -
No sound came from behind me, but ahead sounded a mixture of querulous voices.
Fiction book (1996) -
That's all it is. "I don't know," said my mother in a querulous voice.
Fiction book (1998) -
"I realized I was sounding querulous, but figured I'd earned it.
Fiction book (1994) -
"Heikki?" Djuro's querulous voice came from the door of his room.
Fiction book (1990) -
"My dear woman, must you look so pleased?" High above Olivia's head, Telemachus' querulous voice rang out.
Fiction book (1994)
Synonyms
117
4.2
Easily annoyed and upset when tired or hungry
58
3.9
Complaining a lot in a childish, annoying way
3
4.8
Acting childish and complaining a lot in an annoying way
1
6.7
Often complains and annoys others by telling them what to do
1
9.9
Easily annoyed and quick to complain about small things
1
4.6
Always complaining in an irritating way
1
4.4
Feeling annoyed and often complaining about things
A person who often says they are not happy about things
Showing that you are unhappy about something
Often complaining in a way that annoys others
Antonyms
How Complaining
Surface Forms
Morphology
querulous = querul + ous
The adjective is formed with the suffix '-ous' from the non‑productive stem 'querul-' which is not a recognizable English base, so learners cannot reliably derive the meaning from its parts.
Etymology
Querulous comes from the old Latin verb queri, which means 'to complain'. Think of the common word quarrel, from the same root: a querulous person keeps finding faults and complains in a whiny, repeated way, so the word means 'always complaining'.