peeved

American  

[peevd] / pivd /

adjective

1. annoyed; irritated; vexed.

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Other Word Forms

• peevedly adverb
• peevedness noun

Etymology

Origin of peeved

An Americanism dating back to 1905–10; peeve + -ed ²

Explanation

When you're peeved, you're extremely annoyed or irritated. If you eat the donut that your sister was saving for later, she's going to be so peeved! The adjective peeved comes from an older one, peevish, which originally meant "silly," and later came to mean "cross or fretful." You've probably heard of "pet peeves," those particular annoyances that drive you crazy? Peeved is how you feel when faced with such annoyances, like tiny rocks in your shoe as you walk to school, terrible music in a restaurant, or a bad referee call against your favorite basketball team.

Example Sentences

“It sounds like a competitor’s just peeved that they’re losing market share,” Kershner said, “and maybe they’re grasping at straws.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 9, 2026

None has peeved him more than a shareholder dispute over a highly generous executive pay package—a $50 billion bonus from Tesla to its CEO.

From Slate • Feb. 5, 2025

The Martha Stewart Living founder, who appears peeved occasionally throughout the documentary, told Fallon she didn’t enjoy the process of making the film.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 15, 2024

Going to Brentford would be tough anyway, but I watched the Bees at Old Trafford last week and they must be pretty peeved to have lost after such a good first half.

From BBC • Oct. 24, 2024

Opal kept busy with the names, unless the miller was present, and when Archie needed feeding she seemed quite peeved to have to stop.

From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff