pet peeve

American  

[pet peev] / ˈpɛt ˈpiv /

noun

• pet peeves
  plural

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

   This train service is one of my pet peeves.

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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]

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• pet peeves
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of pet peeve

An Americanism dating back to 1915–20

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pet peeve

“Receiving cold calls from friends and family is now a huge pet peeve of mine,” she said.

From Salon ● Sep. 30, 2026

Another pet peeve for many are sketchy cycling lanes in a city where 18 percent of all trips are made by bike.

From Barron's ● Sep. 15, 2026

Ping [email protected] with the word or phrase, and why it’s your pet peeve, and we might circle back and include it in a future story.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 7, 2026

"It was something that, at first, would always really excite me, but has become increasingly something of a pet peeve," said bookseller and fantasy blogger Bethan Hindmarch, from Kidwelly, Carmarthenshire.

From BBC ● Jan. 4, 2025

Okay, tiny pet peeve: when the girls call me kid.

From "What If It's Us" by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera

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