peeved

peeved — adjective

1. feeling slightly angry or annoyed, especially about a small problem or someone's

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

feeling slightly angry or annoyed, especially about a small problem or someone's annoying behaviour — a mild, informal way of expressing your unhappiness without being very serious about it.

Example

Rin felt peeved when her roommate took the last slice of pizza without asking.

feel + peeved + when-clause

Niran was peeved that the delivery arrived three hours later than promised.

peeved + that-clause

Common collocations
  • get peeved
  • feel peeved
  • a little peeved
  • peeved about something
  • peeved at someone
Synonyms
  • annoyed

    more neutral and common in both formal and informal contexts; slightly stronger than peeved

  • irritated

    implies a sharper, more ongoing annoyance than peeved

  • miffed

    similar informal register; suggests being upset about a minor slight or disappointment

Antonyms
  • pleased

    opposite emotional state — feeling happy or satisfied

  • content

    feeling peaceful and satisfied, the opposite of being peeved

Grammar Patterns

be + peeved

feel + peeved

get + peeved

peeved + about + noun phrase

peeved + at + noun phrase

peeved + that-clause

Usage Note

This word is informal and common in casual conversation rather than in formal writing or speeches. It describes a mild level of irritation — less strong than 'angry' and slightly milder than 'irritated'. You will often hear it in everyday complaints about minor frustrations.

Common Mistakes

The CEO was peeved about the quarterly losses.
The CEO was annoyed about the quarterly losses.
'peeved' sounds too light and casual for a serious situation involving a company's financial results.
I'm absolutely peeved at you!
I'm really annoyed with you!
'peeved' describes a mild feeling, so intensifiers like 'absolutely' or 'furious' do not fit with it.

Word family

  • peeve
    verbC1
  • peeve
    nounC1
  • peevish
    adjectiveC1

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • peeved off

Prepositions

Etymology

The word 'peeved' comes from 'peeve', which was created as a back-formation from the noun 'peevish' (meaning cross or irritable). 'Peevish' itself goes back to Middle English and may be related to the idea of being spiteful or perverse. By the early 1900s, 'peeve' and 'peeved' became common in informal American English as a lighter way to describe being annoyed.