Choose the Right Synonym for peeve

Verb

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 In a press conference, after the Mobile County Health Department shut down bars and dine-in restaurant service, Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson was peeved. — Kyle Whitmire, al, 30 Apr. 2020 Buttigieg, 38, declared victory early on Monday night based on his campaign's internal figures, peeving his rivals. — Emily Larsen, Washington Examiner, 9 Feb. 2020 Trump appeared peeved by the schoolhouse vibe but also allergic to the dynamic of his advisers talking at him. — Carol D. Leonnig, Philip Rucker, Anchorage Daily News, 17 Jan. 2020 The union is peeved by the populist governments in the region, and funds will be redirected away from the comparatively booming central Europeans. — The Economist, 24 Oct. 2019 Saban, the Alabama football coach, has long been peeved that the student section at Bryant-Denny Stadium empties early. — New York Times, 12 Sep. 2019 Meantime, what particularly peeves umps is that TV box. — Ben Walker, The Denver Post, 29 Oct. 2019 Kathy Napierala of Silver Spring, Md., was peeved by that Geico commercial where kids are playing Marco Polo in a swimming pool with . . . — John Kelly, Washington Post, 9 Sep. 2019 Paul Blackburn Blackburn was peeved the last time the A’s sent him down. — Shayna Rubin, The Mercury News, 1 Sep. 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun His other decorating peeve is when entire rooms are layered only in shades of gray. — Elizabeth Mayhew, Star Tribune, 19 May 2021 His other decorating peeve is when entire rooms are layered only in shades of gray. — Elizabeth Mayhew, Star Tribune, 19 May 2021 His other decorating peeve is when entire rooms are layered only in shades of gray. — Washington Post, 27 Apr. 2021 They were supposed to mate, but, when a guy from the zoo came to collect them, it was discovered that Toby’s father had been harboring two males—imagine his peeve. — Han Ong, The New Yorker, 23 Mar. 2020 The list clearly resonated among readers, who responded in force with peeves of their own. — Lettie Teague, WSJ, 13 Feb. 2020 However, copy chief Carolyn Pavia-Rauchman found yet another peeve related to distracted driving. — David Beard, Car and Driver, 24 Jan. 2020 One of Corey Gauff’s peeves is that too many parents don’t encourage their kids to dream big. — Wayne Coffey, USA TODAY, 22 Aug. 2019 One final peeve: The endless hand-wringing (hair-pulling?) about whether or not wearing one of Revel’s (mandatory) helmets is going to give you lice. — Corey Seymour, Vogue, 16 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'peeve.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.