Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adjective Querulous or discontented.
- adjective Ill-tempered.
- adjective Contrary; fractious.
from The Century Dictionary.
- Querulous; petulant; ill-tempered; cross; fitful.
- Perverse; self-willed; forward; testy.
- Characterized by or indicating discontent, petulancy, or fretfulness.
- Childish; silly; foolish; trifling.
- Synonyms Fretful, Pettish, etc. (see
petulant ), ill-natured, testy, irritable, waspish.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adjective Habitually fretful; easily vexed or fretted; hard to please; apt to complain; querulous; petulant.
- adjective Expressing fretfulness and discontent, or unjustifiable dissatisfaction.
- adjective obsolete Silly; childish; trifling.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adjective Constantly
complaining ;fretful ,whining .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adjective easily irritated or annoyed
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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It even has its own pair of Watchmen-style deconstructed superheroes: Mermaid Man, shuffling in peevish slippers toward senility, and his long-suffering sidekick, Barnacle Boy.
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It even has its own pair of Watchmen-style deconstructed superheroes: Mermaid Man, shuffling in peevish slippers toward senility, and his long-suffering sidekick, Barnacle Boy.
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It even has its own pair of Watchmen-style deconstructed superheroes: Mermaid Man, shuffling in peevish slippers toward senility, and his long-suffering sidekick, Barnacle Boy.
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The word peevish would pretty well describe the condition of Mrs. Alstine, who had a chronic ailment that prevented her enjoying the hospitality of friends.
Five Thousand Dollars Reward A. Frank [pseud.] Pinkerton
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His face was insignificant, his expression peevish, his features without the animation of any high purpose.
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There is more poignant music in the Primavera, in the weary, indifferent countenances of his lean, neuropathic Madonnas -- Pater calls them "peevish" -- in his Venus of the
Promenades of an Impressionist James Huneker 1890
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This question -- which Hohenfels called peevish as he buried himself in his book -- was not answered until we had passed Verviers, Chaudfontaine and Liège.
Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science Volume 15, No. 85, January, 1875 Various
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She is so pale, and so fretful, so peevish, which is not in her nature.
White Lies Charles Reade 1849
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Obama held his own and I didn't find him at all "peevish".
Gallup: Hillary And Obama Both Electable In Purple States 2009
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I defy you to point to a single phrase in that speach that was "peevish" or "entitled."
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