peevish

adjective

pee·vish | \ ˈpē-vish

Definition of peevish

1 : querulous in temperament or mood : fretful

2 : perversely (see perverse sense 2b) obstinate a peevish child

3 : marked by ill temper has a peevish, even spiteful, streak— Elizabeth Drew

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Examples of peevish in a Sentence

peevish patients in the doctor's waiting room I would rather figure things out on my own than ask that peevish librarian for help.

Recent Examples on the Web

The Bushes are famously of the Episcopal wing of Protestantism, whose origins trace back, in part, to Henry VIII’s peevish break with Rome. — Matthew Cooper, Newsweek, "How the Presidential Candidates Found Their Faith," 2 Apr. 2015 In the meantime, however, there will be no shortage of conflicting diagnoses, with pockets of consensus surrounded by a few peevish second and third opinions. — Justin Chang, latimes.com, "What's the state of this year's wide-open Oscar race? Let's examine further.," 15 Dec. 2017 There’s a peevish tone, though, that soon seeps into the DNA of the book. — Corey Seymour, Vogue, "Yeah, Working for Rolling Stone Was Like That— But It Was Also Like This," 26 Oct. 2017 The famously peevish ex-Chicago Cubs manager Leo Durocher was careful to keep an extra set of front teeth in his pocket in case someone took particular umbrage at his taunts. — Tom Saler, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Tom Saler: Damage from trade fight would be more than cosmetic," 29 July 2017 Esther, slightly peevish, stands by, even after Gregory Solomon (Danny DeVito) turns up. — Hilton Als, The New Yorker, "The Heaviness of Memory in Arthur Miller’s “The Price”," 16 Mar. 2017 One day, the ladies’ peevish neighbor Ray Dooley (Aaron Monaghan) arrives with an invitation for Maureen. — Adam Davidson, The New Yorker, "Martin McDonagh’s Repressed, Explosive World," 30 Jan. 2017 This is an odd, peevish book — but certainly not an uninteresting one. — Lisa Schwarzbaum, New York Times, "STANLEY KUBRICK AND ME (Arcade, $27.99)," 1 June 2016

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