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
Jay Stahl, USA Today, 18 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
The local Republicans are peeved.
—Jay Stahl, USA Today, 18 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
-
But after developing a headache that lasted for several months, a friend convinced her to visit the emergency room.—
Brad Quick,
CNBC,
20 Apr. 2026
-
This can create headaches for physicians and other providers.—
Noam N. Levey,
Hartford Courant,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
But as the years and resentments pile on, their cancerous brotherhood threatens to obliterate them both.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Lindsay-Abaire makes a real meal of sketching the rest of the neighborhood association, played by a bevy of nimble theatrical comedians, though their own simmering resentments tend to eddy alongside the central Kyra-Elliot conflict.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Teams routinely get annoyed with media that spends time on this sort of thing, but there is no better sales tactic than drama.—
Mac Engel
April 16,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
16 Apr. 2026
-
But now Lamar is doing press annoyed with me.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
15 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
If data centers eventually are included, for example, neighbors could take a hit due to impacts on electricity costs, water access, industrial noise and other nuisances that can come into play when a megaproject moves in next door.—
David Greising,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Not all ants are bad for the garden—some help with soil health and pest control—but fire ants and carpenter ants can be serious nuisances or hazards.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Barea is now one of the top assistants on Denver’s staff, collaborating with Adelman on the offense.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
25 Apr. 2026
-
During a 7-on-7 period, Fox-Flores hauled in a nice sideline catch, one of the lone receptions the offense made in the period.—
Gabriel Duarte,
Daily News,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
As an existing subdivision — 99% of it vacant — Azure Vista offered hundreds of buildable vacant lots populated only by red ants, quail and Groucho Marx bugs.—
Eric DuVall,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Instead, Avdija is at risk of missing out on postseason honors entirely because of a midseason back injury that cost him 16 full games, forced him to leave immediately from a 17th and continues to bug him down the stretch of the season.—
Joe Vardon,
New York Times,
12 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The veteran forward has long been a thorn in their side, and has a long history of trying to injure Warriors, and succeeding at it.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Historically, West Palm Beach’s Keiser University has been a thorn in STU’s side as the Seahawks are 8-0 all-time against the Bobcats.—
Walter Villa,
Miami Herald,
16 Apr. 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 27 Apr. 2026.
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