Synonyms of peevish

peevish

adjective

ˈpē-vish 

as in irritable

easily irritated or annoyed

I would rather figure things out on my own than ask that peevish librarian for help

Synonyms & Similar Words

• irritable
• fiery
• petulant
• snappish
• irascible
• testy
• pettish
• waspish
• grumpy
• grouchy
• crotchety
• snarky
• crabby
• choleric
• cross
• snippy
• passionate
• out of humor
• cranky
• raspy
• short-tempered
• stuffy
• out of sorts
• perverse
• querulous
• sensitive
• disagreeable
• quick-tempered
• prickly
• cantankerous
• short
• dyspeptic
• contentious
• snippety
• fretful
• ornery
• ratty
• bilious
• curmudgeonly
• surly
• argumentative
• belligerent
• snarly
• snappy
• pugnacious
• bellicose
• combative
• quarrelsome
• sulky
• ill-tempered
• tetchy
• truculent
• sullen
• fractious
• ill-humored
• disputatious
• ill-natured
• pouty
• huffy
• cross-grained
• scrappy
• bearish
• off-colored
• touchy
• off-color
• thin-skinned
• hot-blooded

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• friendly
• cordial
• genial
• affable
• outgoing
• amiable
• gregarious
• sweet
• companionable
• agreeable
• sociable
• good-natured
• extroverted
• extraverted
• carefree
• easygoing
• good-tempered
• relaxed
• patient
• well-disposed
• tolerant
• stoical
• stoic
• forbearing
• uncomplaining
• long-suffering
• understanding
• obliging
• happy-go-lucky

Example Sentences

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