peevishness

P3E1E1V4I1S1H4N1E1S1S1
Canada, US/ˈpivɪʃnəs/Canada, US/-nɪs/

noun

The state of being peevish.

Similar
irritabilitycrossnessfretfulnessfussinesspetulancecholertemperbiliousness
OriginMiddle English pevyshnesse →
Scrabble 19
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nounpeevishness (usually uncountable, plural peevishnesses)

plural peevishnesses

  1. uncountableusuallyThe state of being peevish.

    Moreover, it were ungenerous, having bred thee up freakish and fiery, to dismiss thee to want or wandering, for shewing that very peevishness and impatience of discipline which arose from thy too delicate nurture.

    1820, [Walter Scott], chapter XV, in The Abbot. […], volume I, Edinburgh: […] [James Ballantyne & Co.] for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, […]; and for Archibald Constable and Company, and John Ballantyne, […], →OCLC, page 332

Synonyms & antonyms

nounan irritable petulant feeling

Similar
irritabilitycrossnessfretfulnessfussinesspetulancecholer
Broader
ill humorill humourdistemper

nouna disposition to exhibit uncontrolled anger

Similar
temperbiliousnessirritabilitypettishnesssnappishnesssurliness
Broader
ill nature
Also see
biliousnesschagrincholercrossnessfretfulnessfussinessirritabilitypettishnesspetulancesnappishnesssurlinesstemper

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Middle Englishpevyshnesse
  2. Englishpeevishness

From Middle English pevyshnesse, equivalent to peevish + -ness.

More words from Middle English

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

German Gereiztheit, schlechte Laune
  • Gereiztheitthe state of being peevish
  • schlechte Launethe state of being peevish
Irish aincis, aingíocht
  • aincisthe state of being peevish
  • aingíochtthe state of being peevish
  • cantalthe state of being peevish
  • cantlamhthe state of being peevish
  • cianaíthe state of being peevish
  • domlastachtthe state of being peevish
  • driuchthe state of being peevish
  • frichantalthe state of being peevish
  • míchéadfathe state of being peevish
  • múisiamthe state of being peevish
Italian piccosità
  • piccositàthe state of being peevish
Latin senium, morositas
  • seniumthe state of being peevish
  • morositasthe state of being peevish
Polish zirytowanie, rozdrażnienie
  • zirytowaniethe state of being peevish
  • rozdrażnieniethe state of being peevish
Russian ворчли́вость, сварли́вость
  • ворчли́вость (vorčlívostʹ)the state of being peevish
  • сварли́вость (svarlívostʹ)the state of being peevish
Turkish kıllık
  • kıllıkthe state of being peevish
Cite this entry
APA

peevishness. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/peevishness

MLA

“peevishness.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/peevishness. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “peevishness,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/peevishness.

Source: peevishness on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.