Peevishness

//ˈpivɪʃnəs// noun

noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    The state of being peevish. uncountable, usually

    "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."

  2. 2
    a disposition to exhibit uncontrolled anger wordnet
  3. 3
    an irritable petulant feeling wordnet

Example

More examples

"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."

Etymology

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

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.