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piquing 1 of 2

adjective

as in provocative
serving or likely to arouse a strong reaction piquing remarks that were said mainly to get a rise out of the other guests at the party

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

piquing

2 of 2

verb

present participle of pique
1
as in bothering
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 provoking
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 priding
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 piquing
Verb
At the time in the 1960s, Clairol had been keeping quiet about the development, piquing the interest of residents in the area. — Katherine Chircus, AZCentral.com, 15 Aug. 2026 There are an impressive number of interactions, and the game revels in piquing your curiosity. — ArsTechnica, 31 July 2026 Last but certainly not least, In the City is piquing interest as well. — Katie Campione, Deadline, 21 July 2026 In the meantime, Mars in Gemini makes an alignment with Jupiter in Leo, increasing our self-confidence and piquing our curiosities. — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 2 July 2026 In the meantime, a few more reports and photos of the unusual bird came in from San Clemente and Dana Point the next day, piquing interest even more. — Laylan Connelly, Oc Register, 28 May 2026 Bardet credits this research for piquing his interest in this subject. — Catherine Odom, Miami Herald, 6 May 2026 What that’s code for — and what’s piquing Andrew’s caretaker tendencies along with his pheromones — is a certain kind of big-eyed helplessness. — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 7 Apr. 2026 Iconix Brands Group pioneered the approach in the prior decade, piquing the interest of Salter, who iterated on the concept. — Evan Clark, Footwear News, 10 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for piquing
  1. provocative
  2. bothering
  3. provoking
  4. priding
  5. charged
  6. bugging
  7. encouraging
  8. congratulating
Adjective
  • The 27-year-old pre-training researcher’s dramatic resignation has fired off a provocative warning on X that instantly sent ripples across the tech sector.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Both its outlandish and provocative nature could translate into a bit of surprise win for the box office.
    — Samantha Masunaga, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of provocative
Verb
  • The list of maladies bothering Ohtani is lengthy, and grew this week.
    — Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Ohtani reported that the area from his biceps to his neck was bothering him Wednesday night, Roberts said.
    — Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of bothering
Verb
  • Guendouzi, who played for Lyon’s rivals Marseille between 2022 and 2024, was seen provoking the Lyon fans at full time with a series of exuberant celebrations.
    — Ali Rampling, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
  • This year's Ig Nobel Prizes — which are awarded for humorous, yet thought-provoking research — have been announced, but not on their home turf.
    — Ari Daniel, NPR, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of provoking
Verb
  • Like its Brooks counterpart, the shoe is offered in Extra Wide, also priding itself on perks like superior energy return, a grippier-than-most outsole, and a lightweight build at just 208 grams.
    — Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 18 Sep. 2026
  • The property offers a variety of programs and activities for children and families, priding itself on being a multigenerational spot to return to again and again.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 July 2026
Definition of priding
Adjective
  • The result is an urgent, propulsive song with a raw spirit and some of Pop’s most super-charged writing with deceptively simple lyrics about love and war, dripping with desperation.
    — Debby Wolfinsohn, Entertainment Weekly, 7 July 2026
  • What Happens Next Greene is likely to continue stoking controversy by breaking with her party, as conversations around immigration remain charged and divisive.
    — Alia Shoaib, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Oct. 2025
Definition of charged
Verb
  • However, in-flight cabin etiquette is only one part of what’s bugging travelers this summer.
    — Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 6 Aug. 2026
  • The necessity of the trip at all is what's been bugging me.
    — Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 12 June 2026
Definition of bugging
Verb
  • The Moon in your sign trines Chiron in your creative 5th house, encouraging you to show a side of yourself that isn’t polished for approval.
    — Tarot.com, Chicago Tribune, 19 Sep. 2026
  • By aligning the right people with the right roles and encouraging an environment of mutual understanding, behavioral assessments play a pivotal role in creating high-performing teams that excel in collaboration and achieve business success.
    — Karla Vallecillo, Hartford Courant, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of encouraging
Verb
  • One week after his aunt Yolanda died under the rubble of her apartment building, Alejandro Marquina discovered an Instagram message from her, congratulating him on a recent work accomplishment.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Notably, in a tweet congratulating Jensen on the deal, Palo Alto Networks CEO Nikesh Arora echoed the importance of balancing open source and open weights with frontier LLMs.
    — , CNBC, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of congratulating

Browse Nearby Words

piques
piquing
piracy
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Cite this Entry

“Piquing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/piquing. Accessed 20 Sep. 2026.

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