as in irritable
easily irritated or annoyed
I would rather figure things out on my own than ask that peevish librarian for help
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Recent Examples of peevish
Rojas’s recollections weren’t peevish—fine work was produced under these conditions.
—
Ian Parker, The New Yorker, 20 Jan. 2025
The songs are muscular and syncretic as ever, but the normally peevish rapper doesn’t maintain his trolling energy for the full record, settling into a questioning and pensive pace.
—Stephen Kearse, TIME, 8 Dec. 2024
For all that, his Arthur remains a lowly outsider, with a downcast gaze, a peevish temper, and a deep well of melancholy that never feels one-note.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 28 Mar. 2024
The preternaturally peevish Pentecostal preacher is back and absent as ever.
—Kristen Baldwin and Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 6 Sep. 2023
See All Example Sentences for peevish
Ian Parker, The New Yorker, 20 Jan. 2025
The songs are muscular and syncretic as ever, but the normally peevish rapper doesn’t maintain his trolling energy for the full record, settling into a questioning and pensive pace.
—Stephen Kearse, TIME, 8 Dec. 2024
For all that, his Arthur remains a lowly outsider, with a downcast gaze, a peevish temper, and a deep well of melancholy that never feels one-note.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 28 Mar. 2024
The preternaturally peevish Pentecostal preacher is back and absent as ever.
—Kristen Baldwin and Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 6 Sep. 2023
See All Example Sentences for peevish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for peevish
irritable
Adjective
-
Despite its self-destructive proclivities, the irritable giant has managed to make, and keep, a friend.—
Robin George Andrews,
New York Times,
22 July 2025
-
Determined to make a clean SPF, Brown says a chemical formula was out of the question (chemical sunscreens are often thought to be unsafe for the coral reef and irritable to sensitive skin types).—
Kiana Murden,
Vogue,
9 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Peevish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/peevish. Accessed 1 Aug. 2025.
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