peeve

1 of 2

verb

ˈpēv 

peeved; peeving

transitive verb

: to make peevish or resentful : annoy

peeve

2 of 2

noun

1

: a feeling or mood of resentment

2

: a particular grievance or source of aggravation

Synonyms

Verb

• aggravate
• annoy
• bother
• bug
• burn (up)
• chafe
• eat
• exasperate
• frost
• gall
• get
• grate
• gripe
• hack (off)
• irk
• irritate
• itch
• nark [British]
• nettle
• persecute
• pique
• put out
• rasp
• rile
• ruffle
• spite
• vex

Noun

• aggravation
• aggro [British]
• annoyance
• bother
• botheration
• bugbear
• exasperation
• frustration
• hair shirt
• hassle
• headache
• inconvenience
• irk
• irritant
• nuisance
• pest
• rub
• ruffle
• thorn
• trial
• vexation

Choose the Right Synonym for peeve

irritate, exasperate, nettle, provoke, rile, peeve mean to excite a feeling of anger or annoyance.

irritate implies an often gradual arousing of angry feelings that may range from mere impatience to rage.

constant nagging that irritated me greatly

exasperate suggests galling annoyance and the arousing of extreme impatience.

his exasperating habit of putting off needed decisions

nettle suggests a sharp but passing annoyance or stinging.

your pompous attitude nettled several people

provoke implies an arousing of strong annoyance that may excite to action.

remarks made solely to provoke her

rile implies inducing an angry or resentful agitation.

the new work schedules riled the employees

peeve suggests arousing fretful often petty or querulous irritation.

a toddler peeved at being refused a cookie

Examples of peeve in a Sentence

Verb

she is constantly peeved by his habit of humming show tunes while she is trying to focus on her work

Noun

One of her peeves is people who are always late.

my main peeve with the animal welfare organization is the endless stream of unsolicited trinkets in my mailbox

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Trump’s comment about Haley’s husband peeved Randhawa, an Army veteran who posted a string of X posts and reshares over the weekend blasting his sister’s opponent. —Francesca Chambers, USA TODAY, 14 Feb. 2024

With the legislative session playing out ahead of November’s election, Hochul may be wary of plunging into any polarizing policy battles that could peeve suburban and upstate voters. —Tim Balk, New York Daily News, 8 Jan. 2024

Noun

Seeing cooks walk back and forth to their pantry is one of Roger’s top peeves. —Marni Jameson, Orlando Sentinel, 5 July 2024

During his State of the Union address, President Joe Biden reached for one of his top recent peeves: shrinkflation. —Alina Selyukh, NPR, 8 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

back-formation from peevish

First Known Use

Verb

1901, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1909, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing peeve

• pet peeve

Kids Definition

peeve

1 of 2 verb

ˈpēv 

peeved; peeving

: to make irritable or resentful : annoy, irritate

peeve

2 of 2 noun

1

: a feeling or mood of resentment

2

: something one finds annoying

a pet peeve