pique

1 of 3

verb

piqued; piquing

transitive verb

1
a
: to excite or arouse especially by a provocation, challenge, or rebuff
sly remarks to pique their curiosity
b
: pride
he piques himself on his skill as a cook
2
: to arouse anger or resentment in : irritate
what piques linguistic conservativesT. H. Middleton

pique

2 of 3

noun (1)

: a transient feeling of wounded vanity : resentment
a fit of pique

piqué

3 of 3

noun (2)

pi·​qué pi-ˈkā How to pronounce piqué (audio)
ˈpē-ˌkā
variants or pique
1
: a durable ribbed clothing fabric of cotton, rayon, or silk
2
: decoration of a tortoiseshell or ivory object with inlaid fragments of gold or silver
Choose the Right Synonym for pique

Verb

provoke, excite, stimulate, pique, quicken mean to arouse as if by pricking.

provoke directs attention to the response called forth.

my stories usually provoke laughter

excite implies a stirring up or moving profoundly.

news that excited anger and frustration

stimulate suggests a rousing out of lethargy, quiescence, or indifference.

stimulating conversation

pique suggests stimulating by mild irritation or challenge.

that remark piqued my interest

quicken implies beneficially stimulating and making active or lively.

the high salary quickened her desire to have the job

Noun (1)

offense, resentment, umbrage, pique, dudgeon, huff mean an emotional response to or an emotional state resulting from a slight or indignity.

offense implies hurt displeasure.

takes deep offense at racial slurs

resentment suggests lasting indignation or ill will.

harbored a lifelong resentment of his brother

umbrage may suggest hurt pride, resentment, or suspicion of another's motives.

took umbrage at the offer of advice

pique applies to a transient feeling of wounded vanity.

in a pique I foolishly declined the invitation

dudgeon suggests an angry fit of indignation.

stormed out of the meeting in high dudgeon

huff implies a peevish short-lived spell of anger usually at a petty cause.

in a huff he slammed the door

Examples of pique in a Sentence

Verb The first chorus … stirred my heart, the second piqued my sense of camp and the rest of them had me checking my watch. David Gates, Newsweek, 4 Mar. 2002
The posthumous revelation of Cheever's alcoholism, numerous infidelities and bisexuality may have piqued interest precisely because he presented himself so earnestly as the Man in the Brooks Brothers Suit. Mary Gordon, New York Times Book Review, 6 Oct. 1991
Some environmentalists worry that the natural behavior patterns of whales are being altered by tourist boats that pique the animals' curiosity. Jack McCallum, Sports Illustrated, 21 Aug. 1989
In case your interest is being piqued just an itsy-bitsy, teeny-weeny … bit, the Davis Cup will confuse you totally by calling every competition between contending teams a "tie." Frank Deford, Sports Illustrated, 11 Apr. 1988
Brightly colored objects pique a baby's interest. her seat companion piqued her by repeatedly poking her in the ribs Noun (1) And yet the democracy flourishing in Taiwan has been greeted in other parts of the Chinese-speaking world with a certain pique, and even with hostility. Ian Buruma, New Republic, 3 Apr. 2000
… when a beast that weighs 1,200 pounds goes crazy with some kind of stupid pique or jealousy in a room not much bigger than the handicapped stall in the Denver airport men's room, bad things will happen … Hunter S. Thompson, Rolling Stone, 15 Dec. 1994
He hit balls toward the umpire's chair and out of the stadium: he spat water toward the umpire on changeovers; and in still greater fits of pique, he broke three rackets. Jamie Diaz, Sports Illustrated, 2 Mar. 1987
After a moment of pique, the senator responded calmly to his accusers. He slammed the door in a fit of pique.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
The results piqued their interest; would artificially boosting gamma-wave activity help fight off cognitive decline? William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 Chess has long been a touchstone for testing new ideas in artificial intelligence, and Penrose’s puzzles piqued Zahavy’s interest. Stephen Ornes, WIRED, 18 Feb. 2024 But his father’s death from a heart attack at age 49, along with his wife’s experiments in whole-grain baking in the 1960s, began to pique his interest in healthy eating. Harrison Smith, Washington Post, 13 Feb. 2024 The prolonged frigid conditions may pique the interest of thrill seekers wanting to roam the Ohio River on foot for the first time. Erin Couch, The Enquirer, 19 Jan. 2024 The dungeness stuffed squid immediately piques our interest since dungeness crab season has just begun in the area. Bon Appétit Contributor, Bon Appétit, 23 Feb. 2024 If, as her stylist suggests, Poor Things, with its exquisite high-fashion nods and wildly eccentric narrative, got under Stone’s skin, every intelligent and idiosyncratic Louis Vuitton collection press release must pique the same kind of interest. Alice Newbold, Vogue, 18 Feb. 2024 This phenomenon has, in recent years, piqued the interest of growers who are deliberately breeding triploid cannabis. Dario Sabaghi, Forbes, 15 Feb. 2024 Soccer fans, including those whose interest was piqued by Beckham, Netflix’s four-part deep documentary on the star’s life, might enjoy the Coachella Valley Invitational, which welcomes 12 of the biggest clubs in US soccer for a preseason exhibition tournament at Empire Polo Feb 7-18. Abigail Stone, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Feb. 2024
Noun
And in a fit of pique, after being stopped in his car by the police doing 22.5 mph—way above the 12 mph limit at the time—Dunhill created mini binoculars, worn like spectacles, called Bobby Finders, after the nickname for English police of the period. Paul Croughton, Robb Report, 17 Feb. 2024 The faithful will remember that the rapper promised a concept double-album by this name, only pull it back, possibly in pique, after a version of it got leaked and bootlegged. Chris Willman, Variety, 24 Nov. 2023 And like any band with history they are bonded together with love and pique. Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 7 Dec. 2023 Served with a pair of sauces, including a housemade pique infused with hot peppers, the lechón bowl is a bottomless pit of delights. Tim Carman, Washington Post, 5 Dec. 2023 The kidnap gang, diverted from its mission, blew up the nearby British Council offices in a fit of pique. Sam Kiley, CNN, 14 Oct. 2023 To what degree did the cultural frenzy surrounding her Eras concerts pique the curiosity of a broader audience — people who would never pay hundreds of dollars to see her perform in a stadium but might shell out for movie tickets? Brooks Barnes, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2023 Despite their pique, some gas station owners acknowledged that environmental realities require action. Daniel Miller, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2022 Read More: Best Polo Shirts The OG polo shirt by Lacoste has a classic pique for structure and breathability, according to Congdon. Maverick Li, Men's Health, 24 Aug. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pique.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun (1)

French piquer, literally, to prick — more at pike

Noun (2)

French piqué, from past participle of piquer to prick, quilt

First Known Use

Verb

1669, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Noun (1)

1551, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1852, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of pique was in 1551

Dictionary Entries Near pique

Cite this Entry

“Pique.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pique. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

pique

1 of 3 noun
1
: offense taken by one treated with disrespect or looked down upon
2
: a sudden feeling of resentment

pique

2 of 3 verb
piqued; piquing
1
: to arouse anger or resentment in : irritate
especially : to offend by treating with disrespect
2
: excite sense 1, arouse
the package piqued my curiosity

piqué

3 of 3 noun
pi·​qué
variants or pique
: a ribbed fabric of cotton, rayon, or silk

More from Merriam-Webster on pique

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