as in problem
US
something that annoys or bothers a person very much
One of my biggest pet peeves is people driving too slowly on the highway.
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Recent Examples of pet peeve
According to Evite, the pet peeve every party guest dreads is when an invite isn’t clear enough.
—
Sophia Beams, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 Dec. 2025
Hands down, the best feature of this jacket is the Life Pocket, which is designed to keep phones at a full battery throughout the day—a feature any skier will appreciate since an empty battery at the end of a ski day is a common pet peeve.
—Anna Popp, Travel + Leisure, 26 Nov. 2025
Her pet peeve in employees, meanwhile, is those who process, rather than think of ways to meaningfully contribute.
—Sarah Jackson, CNBC, 21 Nov. 2025
This uncomfortable truth sharpened recently when a friend shared her pet peeve about cell phones on the table when dining out with companions.
—Maggie Hennessy, Bon Appetit Magazine, 14 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pet peeve
Sophia Beams, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 Dec. 2025
Hands down, the best feature of this jacket is the Life Pocket, which is designed to keep phones at a full battery throughout the day—a feature any skier will appreciate since an empty battery at the end of a ski day is a common pet peeve.
—Anna Popp, Travel + Leisure, 26 Nov. 2025
Her pet peeve in employees, meanwhile, is those who process, rather than think of ways to meaningfully contribute.
—Sarah Jackson, CNBC, 21 Nov. 2025
This uncomfortable truth sharpened recently when a friend shared her pet peeve about cell phones on the table when dining out with companions.
—Maggie Hennessy, Bon Appetit Magazine, 14 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pet peeve
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pet peeve
Noun
-
Common travel problems include flight delays, lost luggage, and unexpected hotel issues.—
Josh Rivera,
USA Today,
21 June 2026
-
Plants that thrive in similar conditions eliminate problems later.—
Andy Wilcox,
Better Homes & Gardens,
20 June 2026
Noun
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Wood’s career was derailed by injuries, leading to worries of hard throwers being susceptible to blowing out pitching arms.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
18 June 2026
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The New Jersey Girl and its parent company, The Local Girl Media Group, live on addressing public worries; this one just happened to have stakes for a broader population.—
Justin Birnbaum,
Sportico.com,
18 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pet peeve.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pet%20peeve. Accessed 22 Jun. 2026.
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