as in annoying
causing annoyance
a peeving insistence that everyone drop their work just to help him
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in irritating
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for peeving
Adjective
-
Following an investigation, Nichols was also booked on suspicion of annoying or molesting a child under 18.—
Tim Fang,
CBS News,
13 Apr. 2026 -
While Nichols remained in custody for the break-in, he was booked on an additional count of annoying or molesting a child under 18, police said.—
Cierra Morgan
Connect
April 13,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Sure, there are worse problems to have in life, but there’s no denying that fruit flies are irritating.—
Christine Fiorentino,
Southern Living,
12 Apr. 2026
-
Oklahoma City is irritating, but never stops winning.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
10 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
What’s especially frustrating is that this debate is being driven by politicians seeking to divide us, rather than families, coaches, and the people who are actually raising kids and protecting them.—
Mike Smith,
Denver Post,
12 Apr. 2026
-
But that was not the mayor's most frustrating moment.—
Marcia Kramer,
CBS News,
12 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
But that doesn’t excuse failing to execute on the ABCs of lobbying — such as not bothering even to show up at a hearing on a policy the mayor considers an urgent priority.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Both players scored in double figures on Sunday, but Santos was ruled out against the Kings because of a pelvis injury that has been bothering him for weeks.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
7 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
That boss who had sent Kim all those disturbing love letters and images.—
Peter Van Sant,
CBS News,
12 Apr. 2026
-
Magyar’s most disturbing similarity with Orbán is his personality.—
Kapil Komireddi,
New Yorker,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
So, all the things people were yelling about with Southwest weren’t bugging me.—
Lisa Gutierrez,
Kansas City Star,
21 Mar. 2026
-
But so much of my journalism has been about something that’s bugging me.—
Jack Denton,
Vulture,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
But so often left unsaid by Gu are the moral ambiguities that come with choosing to represent a country that has been heavily criticized by Human Rights Watch, among other watchdog groups, for denying rights of freedom of expression and for persecuting government critics.—
Zak Keefer,
New York Times,
17 Feb. 2026
-
The term refers to biblical passages in which Jesus described Jews in specific communities who were persecuting the early Christians.—
Jennifer Berry Hawes,
ProPublica,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
My ila facial was pure joy—no painful extraction or aggravating scrubs here.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
30 Mar. 2026
-
There might be more than one bench spot to be won on the opening-day roster, as infielder Sung-Mun Song has not swung a bat since aggravating a right oblique strain on Sunday.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
11 Mar. 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Peeving.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/peeving. Accessed 20 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
