peeve C2+ Topic:Actions & Processes US /piv/ UK /piːv/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 verb to irritate or annoy; an annoyance It peeved her that no one had cleaned up. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 verb · to irritate or annoy; an... annoyirritateirkvexnettlerileexasperate ↔ Opposites pleasesoothegratify Word family Derived forms peevishpeeved Related forms peevish Etymology AI details A back-formation from peevish, which is of uncertain origin, possibly from Middle English pevische ('spiteful, perverse'). Topics Actions & Processes External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # peeve **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** verb **IPA (US):** /piv/ **IPA (UK):** /piːv/ ## Meanings 1. to irritate or annoy; an annoyance ## Examples - It peeved her that no one had cleaned up. ## Synonyms - annoy - irritate - irk - vex - nettle - rile - exasperate ## Antonyms - please - soothe - gratify ## Derived Forms - peevish - peeved ## Related Forms - peevish ## Etymology A back-formation from peevish, which is of uncertain origin, possibly from Middle English pevische ('spiteful, perverse'). ## AI Etymology Peeve is a back-formation from peevish, which is of uncertain origin, possibly from Middle English pevische ('spiteful, perverse'). As a verb, peeve means to irritate or annoy; an annoyance. The same family is visible in derived forms such as peevish and peeved and related forms such as peevish. The uncertainty belongs to the older derivation, so the explanation should preserve alternatives rather than choosing one unsupported origin. ## Topics - Actions & Processes markdown