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
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.
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Stephen Kearse, TIME, 8 Dec. 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for peevish
Stephen Kearse, TIME, 8 Dec. 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for peevish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for peevish
irritable
Adjective
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SSRIs are linked to a condition called neonatal adaption syndrome, in which infants are born jittery, irritable and with abnormal muscle tone.—
Andrew Novick,
The Conversation,
31 July 2025
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Frequently, kids who suppress emotions at school come home irritable in a low-key fashion at home.—
Sherri Gordon,
Parents,
29 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Peevish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/peevish. Accessed 22 Aug. 2025.
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