1
as in headache
something that is a source of irritation
my main peeve with the animal welfare organization is the endless stream of unsolicited trinkets in my mailbox
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in resentment
the feeling of being offended or resentful after a slight or indignity
he holds on to a peeve until the offending person apologizes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to annoy
to disturb the peace of mind of (someone) especially by repeated disagreeable acts
she is constantly peeved by his habit of humming show tunes while she is trying to focus on her work
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of peeve
Sheon Han, Wired News, 27 Mar. 2025
The recent columns about viewers’ TV peeves have generated a lot of mail, including this letter.
—Rich Heldenfels, Boston Herald, 22 Feb. 2025
Marc Snetiker, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Oct. 2025
With his far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, sitting in the front row, Netanyahu took the stage, looking a little peeved, and berated the event’s organizers for muddling his slide show.
—Ruth Margalit, New Yorker, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for peeve
Noun
Among his litany of peeves is that, because arXiv has seen a surge in submissions in recent times, especially in the AI category, the number of low-quality papers has followed a similar curve—and arXiv has nowhere near enough volunteers to vet them all.
—Sheon Han, Wired News, 27 Mar. 2025
The recent columns about viewers’ TV peeves have generated a lot of mail, including this letter.
—Rich Heldenfels, Boston Herald, 22 Feb. 2025
Verb
But whenever Will is peeving about something or getting in the way of the kids' fun, things just seem a little less gleeful.
—Marc Snetiker, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Oct. 2025
With his far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, sitting in the front row, Netanyahu took the stage, looking a little peeved, and berated the event’s organizers for muddling his slide show.
—Ruth Margalit, New Yorker, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for peeve
Recent Examples of Synonyms for peeve
Noun
-
Matterhorn Fit treats ailments that affect the neck, back and pelvis, which include sciatica, herniated discs, spinal stenosis, piriformis syndrome, thoracic pain, cervical pain, sports hernia recovery and cervicogenic headache.—
Sean Krofssik,
Hartford Courant,
5 Apr. 2026
-
Symptoms generally appear within one or two weeks of infection, and can include fever, headache, rash and body aches.—
City News Service,
Daily News,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Maybe the mere fact of having been born illustrious, with no apparent faults, with nothing to prove or to be ashamed of, had liberated John from the resentments the rest of us feel, and from the cunning and ambition such resentments fuel.—
Jeffrey Eugenides,
New Yorker,
4 Apr. 2026
-
What would be stupid is mandating the creation of a permanent underclass, driving the resentment and parallel societies that plagued Germany — and doing so in defiance of the Constitution.—
Agustina Vergara Cid,
Oc Register,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Black also appeared as a frustrated office worker trying to get a co-worker (Ashley Padilla) to stop talking to him and others annoyed by the woman.—
Omar L. Gallaga,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Apr. 2026
-
Unless you’re annoyed at paying the junior engineers $300,000 a year straight out of school.—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The site fell into neglect and became a blighted public nuisance.—
George Avalos,
Mercury News,
3 Apr. 2026
-
The company could face even more penalties in a second phase of the trial set to start in May, over whether Meta created a public nuisance.—
Shannon Bond,
NPR,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Most people would agree that cheating and planning a school shooting are hardly equal offenses, and Borgli doesn't totally stick the landing by sweeping Emma's past impulses under the rug.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Her ability to stretch the floor added a new dimension to Missouri’s offense down the stretch, including a strong postseason showing.—
Aaron Segal,
Kansas City Star,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
This sense of solidarity extends into the rose garden, where a dozen or so common pests show up year after year — some in spring, some in summer, and some persist and bug our roses (and us) throughout the year.—
Rita Perwich,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Chandler Zavala has been fighting the injury bug his whole career.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Odor is a botanical defense mechanism as much as thistles and thorns.—
Joshua Siskin,
Oc Register,
21 Mar. 2026
-
The spirit of the endeavor can forgive a lot, with some clumsy filmmaking that doesn’t seem to be an intentional homage, such as a slapdash set-up to Helen’s murderous ways and a slightly tacked-on feeling opening involving a film critic who has been a thorn in Jack’s side.—
Stephen Saito,
Variety,
15 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Among agonized grunts and huffs, Probst narrated the fumbles.—
Sarah Grant,
New Yorker,
2 Feb. 2026
-
David walks out of the kitchen and Moira huffs and takes his spot over the pot.—
Sabrina Weiss,
PEOPLE,
31 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Peeve.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/peeve. Accessed 9 Apr. 2026.
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