querulous

querulous
Often complaining; suggesting a complaint in expression; fretful, whining.

"There are no crimes and no criminals in these days," he said, querulously. "What is the use of having brains in our profession. I know well that I have it in me to make my name famous. No man lives or has ever lived who has brought the same amount of study and of natural talent to the detection of crime which I have done. And what is the result? There is no crime to detect, or, at most, some bungling villainy with a motive so transparent that even a Scotland Yard official can see through it."

Syn: bitchy, cantankerous, critical, fretful, huffy, irritable, peevish, plaintive, testy, touchy, uptight, whiny, bemoaning, grumbling, lamenting, whining

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  • Querulous — Quer u*lous, a. [L. querulus and querulosus, fr. queri to complain. Cf. {Cry}, v., {Quarrel} a brawl, {Quarrelous}.] 1. Given to quarreling; quarrelsome. [Obs.] land. [1913 Webster] 2. Apt to find fault; habitually complaining; disposed to… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • querulous — I adjective bewailing, canting, captious, carping, censorious, clamorous, complaining, contentious, cross, difficult, difficult to please, discontented, disputatious, dissatisfied, exceptious, faultfinding, fractious, fretful, grouchy, grumbling …   Law dictionary

  • querulous — (adj.) c.1500, from O.Fr. querelos, from L.L. querulosus, from L. querulus full of complaints, complaining, from queri to complain. Retains the original vowel of QUARREL (Cf. quarrel) (n.1) …   Etymology dictionary

  • querulous — fretful, petulant, pettish, huffy, *irritable, peevish, fractious, snappish, waspish Analogous words: crying, weeping, wailing, whimpering, blubbering (see CRY vb): touchy, cranky, cross (see IRASCIBLE): lamenting, deploring, bemoaning (see… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • querulous — [adj] grouchy, hard to please bearish, bemoaning, cantankerous, captious, carping, censorious, complaining, critical, cross, crying, deploring, discontented, dissatisfied, edgy, fault finding, fretful, grousing, grumbling, grumbly, huffy*… …   New thesaurus

  • querulous — ► ADJECTIVE ▪ complaining in a petulant or whining manner. DERIVATIVES querulously adverb querulousness noun. ORIGIN Latin querulus, from queri complain …   English terms dictionary

  • querulous — [kwer′yo͞o ləs, kwer′yooləs, kwer′yələs; kwer′ooləs, kwer′ələs] adj. [L querulus < queri, to complain: see QUARREL2] 1. inclined to find fault; complaining 2. full of complaint; peevish querulously adv. querulousness n …   English World dictionary

  • querulous — querulously, adv. querulousness, n. /kwer euh leuhs, kwer yeuh /, adj. 1. full of complaints; complaining. 2. characterized by or uttered in complaint; peevish: a querulous tone; constant querulous reminders of things to be done. [1490 1500; < L… …   Universalium

  • querulous — quer|u|lous [ˈkweruləs] adj formal [Date: 1400 1500; : Latin; Origin: querulosus, from queri; QUARREL1] someone who is querulous complains about things in an annoying way ▪ But why can t I go? he said in a querulous voice . >querulously adv …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • querulous — [[t]kwe̱rʊləs[/t]] ADJ GRADED (disapproval) Someone who is querulous often complains about things. [FORMAL] A querulous male voice said, Look, are you going to order, or what? …   English dictionary

  • querulous — adjective Etymology: Middle English querelose, from Latin querulus, from queri to complain Date: 15th century 1. habitually complaining 2. fretful, whining < a querulous voice > • querulously adverb • querulousness noun …   New Collegiate Dictionary

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