peeved
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
- peevedly adverb
- peevedness noun
Etymology
Origin of peeved
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Recalls a peeved Mr. Blankfein: “It was like the undertaker calling at your sickbed.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026
Voters attracted to Reform don't come from any one political tribe, but ask pollsters and they share a sentiment – they're pretty peeved with the UK in 2025.
From BBC • Jan. 4, 2025
He pulls a “do you know who I am” whenever he gets peeved, which is a lot.
From Slate • Nov. 21, 2024
When Stracke was late for a recent lunch date, a peeved Beauvais stormed off upon her arrival.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 19, 2024
He was so polite about it that the Underdowns didn’t realize he was peeved.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
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.
