peeve 1 of 2

peeve

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verb

Synonym Chooser

How is the word peeve different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of peeve are exasperate, irritate, nettle, provoke, and rile. While all these words mean "to excite a feeling of anger or annoyance," peeve suggests arousing fretful often petty or querulous irritation.

a toddler peeved at being refused a cookie

In what contexts can exasperate take the place of peeve?

In some situations, the words exasperate and peeve are roughly equivalent. However, exasperate suggests galling annoyance and the arousing of extreme impatience.

his exasperating habit of putting off needed decisions

When can irritate be used instead of peeve?

Although the words irritate and peeve have much in common, irritate implies an often gradual arousing of angry feelings that may range from mere impatience to rage.

constant nagging that irritated me greatly

When might nettle be a better fit than peeve?

The words nettle and peeve can be used in similar contexts, but nettle suggests a sharp but passing annoyance or stinging.

your pompous attitude nettled several people

When would provoke be a good substitute for peeve?

While the synonyms provoke and peeve are close in meaning, provoke implies an arousing of strong annoyance that may excite to action.

remarks made solely to provoke her

When is it sensible to use rile instead of peeve?

The synonyms rile and peeve are sometimes interchangeable, but rile implies inducing an angry or resentful agitation.

the new work schedules riled the employees

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 peeve
Noun
Seeing cooks walk back and forth to their pantry is one of Roger’s top peeves. Marni Jameson, Orlando Sentinel, 5 July 2024 During his State of the Union address, President Joe Biden reached for one of his top recent peeves: shrinkflation. Alina Selyukh, NPR, 8 Mar. 2024
Verb
And people are often peeved to hear about it. Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 25 Nov. 2024 Billionaire tech CEOs Jeff Bezos of Amazon, Mark Zuckerberg of Meta, Sundar Pichai of Google, Tim Cook of Apple, and Elon Musk got prime seats at President Trump’s inauguration in the Capitol rotunda — peeving lawmakers in both parties. Emily Brooks, The Hill, 20 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for peeve
Recent Examples of Synonyms for peeve
Noun
  • Its stern warnings are scary and uncomfortable--the headaches, indigestion, muscle spasms, body aches, clenched teeth or knots in your chest.
    Bryan Robinson, Forbes.com, 4 June 2025
  • More severe cases of salmonellosis may include a high fever, aches, headaches, lethargy, a rash, blood in the urine or stool, and in some cases may become fatal.
    Jasmine Laws, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 June 2025
Verb
  • Orlando Sentinel Residents also allege the neighbor erected phallic objects on a fence at his home to annoy them.
    Stephen Hudak, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 May 2025
  • Cahill also spoke about how the political nature of the case annoyed him, as politicians spoke out about Floyd's death, and some called for system-wide change.
    Charlotte Phillipp, People.com, 25 May 2025
Noun
  • The velocity of misinformation isn’t just a nuisance.
    Brent Gleeson, Forbes.com, 6 June 2025
  • Eating flaxseed might even ease menopausal symptoms, which—among its many other nuisances—can often include GI issues.
    Christina Pérez, Vogue, 29 May 2025
Noun
  • The chute opens, and rambunctious No. 2 bursts out with an impatient huff.
    Phillip Valys, Sun Sentinel, 15 Mar. 2025
  • Volunteers were charged around 25 cents per huff, bringing in good profit for those who’d invested in the necessary gas tanks, tubes, and breathing bags.
    Oshan Jarow, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
Verb
  • Say your mother kept bugging you to change a bad habit.
    Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 11 May 2025
  • Next season is when all the little things start to bug me.
    Ryan Schwartz, TVLine, 21 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • The early part of the season indicated Arizona would indeed be a thorn in the side of the Dodgers and one of the best teams in the NL.
    Andrew Wright, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 June 2025
  • The law has been a thorn in the side of the Trump administration’s campaign to ramp up deportations, which the president has cast as an effort to rid the country of criminals despite also targeting immigrants with no prior convictions.
    Taryn Luna, Los Angeles Times, 30 May 2025
Noun
  • Law enforcement officials believe the man, Ramon Morales Reyes, never wrote a letter that Noem and her department shared with a message written in light blue ink expressing anger over Trump’s deportations and threatening to shoot him in the head with a rifle at a rally.
    Mike Balsamo, Los Angeles Times, 2 June 2025
  • Law enforcement officials believe the man, Ramon Morales Reyes, never wrote a letter that Noem and her department shared with a message written in light blue ink expressing anger over Trump's deportations and threatening to shoot him in the head with a rifle at a rally.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 1 June 2025
Verb
  • After years of ‘losing culture,’ can the new-look Chicago Bears turn things around on defense? Chicago Bears safety Kevin Byard didn’t bother mincing words.
    Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 27 May 2025
  • Users do have to purchase such gadgets, learn how to utilize them, and put them on their body, however, which are all steps that many folks simply won't bother taking.
    Ben Coxworth, New Atlas, 26 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Peeve.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/peeve. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.

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