peevish C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities US /ˈpivɪʃ/ UK /ˈpiːvɪʃ/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 adj easily irritated; querulous and bad-tempered The toddler grew peevish without his nap. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adj · easily irritated; querulous... irritablequerulousfretfulpetulanttestycantankerouscranky ↔ Opposites good-humoredamiableeasygoingplacid Word family Forms peevishness Derived forms peevishlypeevishnesspeeve Related forms peeve Etymology AI details From Middle English pevish, pevische ('spiteful, perverse, silly'), of uncertain origin. Topics Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives External links Google Images Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary # peevish **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** adj **IPA (US):** /ˈpivɪʃ/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈpiːvɪʃ/ ## Meanings 1. easily irritated; querulous and bad-tempered ## Examples - The toddler grew peevish without his nap. ## Synonyms - irritable - querulous - fretful - petulant - testy - cantankerous - cranky ## Antonyms - good-humored - amiable - easygoing - placid ## Derived Forms - peevishly - peevishness - peeve ## Related Forms - peeve ## Etymology From Middle English pevish, pevische ('spiteful, perverse, silly'), of uncertain origin. ## AI Etymology Peevish comes from Middle English pevish, pevische ('spiteful, perverse, silly'), of uncertain origin. As an adjective, peevish means easily irritated; querulous and bad-tempered. The same family is visible in derived forms such as peevishly, peevishness, and peeve and related forms such as peeve. The uncertainty belongs to the older derivation, so the explanation should preserve alternatives rather than choosing one unsupported origin. ## Topics - Describing Qualities - Word Formation & Derivatives markdown