piqued

[ peekt ]
See synonyms for piqued on Thesaurus.com
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.

  1. (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.

verb
  1. the simple past tense and past participle of pique1.

Origin of piqued

1

Other words from piqued

  • un·piqued, adjective

Words Nearby piqued

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use piqued in a sentence

  • And Lady Hartledon, rather piqued, gave the necessary orders on the following day for the removal.

    Elster's Folly | Mrs. Henry Wood
  • This piqued George who replied that one might be a man, and even a very brave man, and yet not know all the roads on earth.

    Honey-Bee | Anatole France
  • Sir Lucien was first surprised, then piqued, and finally interested by such unusual tactics.

    Dope | Sax Rohmer
  • The tone constituted a rebuff, and Rita's coquetry deserted her, leaving her mortified and piqued.

    Dope | Sax Rohmer
  • After a few days, when she could understand him no better than at first, she gave over being puzzled and remained piqued.