peeve
Americanverb (used with object)
noun
-
a source of annoyance or irritation.
Tardiness is one of my greatest peeves.
- Synonyms:
- grievance, affliction, vexation
-
an annoyed or irritated mood.
to be in a peeve.
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
- peeved adjective
Etymology
Origin of peeve
1905–10, back formation from peevish
Explanation
A peeve is something that really annoys you, like waiting in a long line or dropping a can on your toe because someone left it on the counter. Again. It's also a word for describing your resulting mood: peeved. You probably know the term "pet peeve," which is something that may not bother everyone, but particularly irritates you. Your pet peeve might be misspelled words on signs, mismatched socks, or close talkers. Peeve is also a verb, meaning "irritate." The adjective peevish, for “silly, perverse” came first, in the fourteenth century.
Vocabulary lists containing peeve
The Sound and the Fury: Synonyms for "Anger"
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Concrete Rose
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Red Flags and Butterflies
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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.
It’s a pet peeve of hers when someone is multitasking when she’s trying to talk to them.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 15, 2026
“It’s a pet peeve with many people,” he told me.
From Slate • Mar. 6, 2025
"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
The wrappers are a nostalgic choice for Barrois, who started sculpting as an antsy 10-year-old with a Hot Wheels collection and a pet peeve.
From New York Times • Mar. 28, 2024
Okay, tiny pet peeve: when the girls call me kid.
From "What If It's Us" by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera
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.
