pesky
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
- peskily adverb
- peskiness noun
Etymology
Origin of pesky
1765–75; irregular formation from pest ( def. ) + -y 1 ( def. )
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.
If becoming a working actor is hard, proving your worth behind the camera is ten times as tough, especially when the audience’s expectations are heightened by a pesky little thing: name recognition.
From Salon
Whether we fight or submit straightaway, once we’re engulfed and pesky tensions like personal freedom or opinion are no longer available to us, many find it easier to float along instead of struggling.
From Salon
The admiral’s voice droned on until it was like the buzzing of those pesky gnats that had given Penelope no peace in the forest.
From Literature
Plus, there aren’t those pesky regulations that executives like to complain about, slowing construction of new power plants to meet the data-center needs.
One planned change could unite many Europeans in relief however: the EU wants to get rid of those pesky cookie banners seeking users' consent for tracking on websites.
From Barron's
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.
