pesky
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of pesky
1765–75; irregular formation from pest ( def. ) + -y 1 ( def. )
Explanation
Anything pesky is annoying. Pesky things get on your nerves, like pesky mosquitoes that ruin an outdoor movie or pesky ants that march away with all of your picnic food. Pesky things are irritating, like small children who poke you on the leg for ten minutes while you try to discuss Nietzsche. A pesky fly dive-bombs by your head all afternoon. An itch you can't reach is pesky. The word pesky is an old word from New England, as in “like a pest,” but in a funny accent. Different people find different things pesky, but pesky things are never terrible, just very annoying.
Vocabulary lists containing pesky
"The Ransom of Red Chief" by O. Henry
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Sarah, Plain and Tall
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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.
Investors are nervous about high oil prices, geopolitical tensions, pesky inflation, interest rates, and just about everything else.
From Barron's • May 4, 2026
Sink down to the depths of the ocean in the Caribbean, where scuba divers can explore alongside a Sandals Resort marine biologist to hunt pesky, invasive lionfish.
From Salon • Mar. 14, 2026
And the day after the primary—with those pesky voters out of the equation for a couple of months—Gonzales finally gave an interview in which he admitted to the affair.
From Slate • Mar. 7, 2026
As the White House searches for firmer statutory footing, it will face procedural delays, interagency disputes and more pesky legal challenges.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 23, 2026
It was summer now, so the woods were a new and different place, alive with green and filled with birdsong and swarming mosquitoes and pesky blackfly.
From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson
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.
