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piqued 1 of 2

adjective

as in infuriated

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piqued

2 of 2

verb

past tense of pique
1
as in annoyed
to disturb the peace of mind of (someone) especially by repeated disagreeable acts her seat companion piqued her by repeatedly poking her in the ribs

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in provoked
to rouse to strong feeling or action their sarcastic comments piqued him to respond in kind

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in prided
to think highly of (oneself) she piques herself on her considerable musical abilities

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of piqued
Verb
Learning about his great grandmother, Sarah Miller, whom his mother had known as a child, piqued his interest. — Lesley Stahl, CBS News, 6 Sep. 2026 European interest in the island was piqued by its location along prime commercial shipping routes. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 24 Aug. 2026 My journalistic interest in the world’s favorite dessert was first piqued on a gloomy December day in 2009, when a friend and I toured a chocolate factory. — Kendra Nordin Beato, Christian Science Monitor, 21 Aug. 2026 On it was the poster of the black thingummy that had piqued Jenny’s interest. — Literary Hub, 19 Aug. 2026 The characters in particular are more grounded, which immediately piqued Root’s interest. — Los Angeles Times, 11 Aug. 2026 Randau’s initial curiosity in Kersten was piqued by a meeting some five years ago with French producers over a potential collaboration on a TV series devoted to the exploits of the massage-therapist. — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 7 Aug. 2026 Vera had been visiting him on the street downtown the day before, which had piqued the curiosity of the other two men, and so Green Bandana had brought them by. — Eric Boodman, STAT, 31 July 2026 The first was the 2008 bomb threat hoax, which piqued investigators’ suspicions but resulted in no charges against Perales. — Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 27 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for piqued
  1. outraged
  2. annoyed
  3. provoked
  4. prided
  5. angry
  6. bothered
  7. encouraged
  8. congratulated
Adjective
  • When Staffieri was finally alerted by the non-profit PeerK12 organization in late August 2025 to what had happened three months prior, she was appropriately outraged that proper procedures were not followed.
    — Marsha Sutton, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Sep. 2026
  • Residents were also outraged that the nearby Santa Ynez Reservoir, which had been drained for lengthy repairs, sat empty and dry as neighborhoods burned.
    — Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of outraged
Verb
  • One guy in cargo shorts and a battered Ramones T-shirt kept casting dirty looks at the sky, clearly annoyed at the thumping of the TV news helicopters — there were at least three overhead at all times — drowning out his commentary.
    — Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2026
  • What annoyed me the most, though, was the way the meditation teachers talked, which tended toward New Age–isms in passive voice.
    — Olga Khazan, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of annoyed
Verb
  • Taiwan’s attendance at summits has provoked China's ire before, with the issue resulting in partner countries being barred from attending last year’s meeting in Solomon Islands.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 1 Sep. 2026
  • In the second half of 2025, LinkedIn removed 477,911 comments that provoked harassment or abuse and 80,806 comments that used adult language or imagery using its harmful message detector, according to LinkedIn’s transparency report.
    — Sarah Glodek, Fortune, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of provoked
Verb
  • Parton prided herself on the success of her Imagination Library, which has given more than 330 million books to children around the world.
    — Rachel DeSantis, PEOPLE, 1 Sep. 2026
  • West Ham have always prided themselves on being the ‘Academy of Football’, and this was that nickname turning into reality.
    — Roshane Thomas, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of prided
Adjective
  • Why would anyone want to do this in a game about an angry, unkillable mutant with claws sharp enough to cut through space-time?
    — Gabriel Zamora, PC Magazine, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Seehorn carried a heavy load as its lead, playing a sad, angry woman forced to save the world from happiness and the hive mind.
    — Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of angry
Verb
  • The roundtable of women appear hot and bothered that de Lesseps interrupted Patton’s touching tribute to her mom.
    — Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Something about the story bothered de Aguiar Alves at the time.
    — Matt von Hippel, ArsTechnica, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of bothered
Verb
  • Bonino said that during their conversations Francis always encouraged her to bring forward her humanitarian battles, defending those most in need.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 11 Sep. 2026
  • His warning was meant for American eyes and ears at least as much — if not more so — than for the government in Jerusalem that until now has encouraged the hoodlums by tolerating their violence.
    — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of encouraged
Verb
  • Kimmel then asked about CBS and whether anyone from the network congratulated their erstwhile star Colbert for the Emmy wins.
    — Abid Rahman, HollywoodReporter, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Some were particularly struck by seeing a young man embrace sewing and challenge the gender stereotypes that can still surround the hobby, while others congratulated Mary on raising such a thoughtful son and even asked her for parenting advice.
    — Jordan Greene, PEOPLE, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of congratulated

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Cite this Entry

“Piqued.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/piqued. Accessed 18 Sep. 2026.

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