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Synonyms

pet peeve

American  
[pet peev] / ˈpɛt ˈpiv /

noun

  1. a particular and often continual annoyance; personal bugbear.

    This train service is one of my pet peeves.
pet peeve Idioms  

  1. A particular or recurring source of irritation, as in My pet peeve is that neighbor's cat running through my herb garden. [Early 1900s]

Etymology

Origin of pet peeve

An Americanism dating back to 1915–20

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Pet peeve: "People who only know how to say 'I' and 'me.' If it's never about 'us' or 'ours,' then there is something wrong."

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 1, 2015

Red carpet tip: Always apply an invisible pressed powder before makeup to avoid a super-shiny face Pet peeve: Cold weather.

From New York Times • Jan. 26, 2011

Pet peeve: Bubble gum from my shoe to my board.

From Time Magazine Archive

Pet peeve: Going to shoot a sequence of a trick you already did.

From Time Magazine Archive

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.