adjective
peevish
PEE-vish/ˈpiːvɪʃ/
Easily annoyed and inclined to complain.
The peevish diner repeatedly complains about harmless details of the table setting.
Etymology
Middle English peyvesshe described someone perverse, capricious, or silly. The meaning shifted toward a cross, fretful temperament—the irritability now expressed by peevish.
In context
flipping one who still scowled from the peevish handshake that had to start each match
More examples
- Lack of sleep makes her peevish and hard to please.
- His peevish complaints about the seating spoil our dinner.
- She sounds more peevish with every question I ask.
Forms
peevish · more peevish · most peevish
peevishly adverb — In an annoyed, complaining manner.
peevishness noun — The tendency to become annoyed and complain.
Similar words
- irritable
- Emphasizes being easily annoyed rather than expressing petty complaints.
- querulous
- Emphasizes habitual whining or complaining more than quick irritation.
- cranky
- More informal and often describes a temporary bad mood.