adjective
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fretful or irritable
a peevish child
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obsolete perverse
Synonym Usage
See cross.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of peevish
1350–1400; Middle English pevysh of unknown origin
Explanation
When you're peevish, you're easily irritated and grumpy. Everything seems to get under your skin. Know someone who always seems annoyed, grumpy, cranky, or irritated? That person is peevish. Some people are peevish in general, but most people can be peevish about certain subjects — we all have a pet peeve. Lots of people get peevish about language: like using the word like all the time as verbal filler. Being peevish is almost always considered a form of pettiness — it's not a good thing. When you're peevish, you're not really looking at the big picture.
Vocabulary lists containing peevish
100 Words to Make You Sound Smart
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Even More Negative Words to Describe a Person
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Curmudgeon, Cantankerous and Churlish: Grouchy Words
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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.
Peevish Peggy and some of her companions had played a trick on Buster—because of his boasting.
From The Tale of Buster Bumblebee by Smith, Harry L.
The worker, Peevish Peggy, at once flew into a temper.
From The Tale of Buster Bumblebee by Smith, Harry L.
And Peevish Peggy had a very narrow escape.
From The Tale of Buster Bumblebee by Smith, Harry L.
Then the Robber Fly had rushed up and seized Peevish Peggy, who had promptly let go of Buster Bumblebee.
From The Tale of Buster Bumblebee by Smith, Harry L.
Peevish and fretful oft we are,— Ah, no—that cannot be: Of our blind eyes he is the star, Without him, what were we?
From Ancient Ballads and Legends of Hindustan by Dutt, Toru
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.
