querulous

Everyday

Complaining in a whining, annoyed voice. tree →

In the lessons

A literary word in stories for a moaning character or voice: a querulous old man, a querulous child who is tired. It tells the reader the character complains a lot.

Examples

• The querulous old man complained about the noise. tree →
• Her voice became querulous when she was tired. tree →
• The child grew querulous on the long car journey. tree →
• «Are we nearly there?» came a querulous voice. tree →
• He made a querulous remark about the food. tree →
• The querulous customer wanted his money back. tree →

Note

Say: KWER-yoo-lus. Similar: whiny, grumbling. Not «quarrelsome» (always arguing), though close.