piqued

American  

[peekt] / pikt /

adjective

1. (of interest, curiosity, etc.) excited or aroused.

   By the end of the talk the audience had tons of questions, and left with a piqued interest in the world of lion research.

2. irritated and resentful, especially because of an injury to one’s pride.

   The Act triggered President Truman's piqued reaction: he found the bill "un-American" and vetoed it, but to no avail.

3. (of pride, vanity, etc.) wounded.

   Unimaginable horrors often result from nothing more than a move to second place, a public embarrassment, or a piqued ego.

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verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of pique.

Other Word Forms

• unpiqued adjective

Etymology

Origin of piqued

pique ¹ ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

Kian's mum said his interest was initially piqued by one of his teachers.

From BBC

Either way, it has piqued the curiosity of many young users.

From Barron's

Not surprisingly, Stoltz’s interest—and especially those wild wattage numbers—has piqued the curiosity of cycling bosses.

From The Wall Street Journal

So when a peddler arrives with a rare item and information, the overseer’s interest is piqued.

From The Wall Street Journal

Lower mortgage rates and Washington’s focus on housing have piqued the interest of home buyers this spring.

From Barron's

Related Words

• annoyed
• bitter
• enraged
• exasperated
• furious
• heated
• impassioned
• indignant
• irate
• irritable
• irritated
• mad
• offended
• outraged
• resentful
• sullen
• uptight