peevish

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Titus hands power to Saturninus, the eldest son of the late Roman emperor, played with a comic spin as a peevish dilettante by Matthew Amendt.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

“He looks startled,” Reed said of the president’s peevish performance.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 14, 2024

Even when he was trying to sound upbeat, the river of resentment would burble up in his mannerisms and his peevish voice.

From Salon • Jan. 23, 2024

The pilot opens with a peevish Hank trying to ignore that he learned his dad was retiring via a celebratory newspaper article on the front page of the arts section.

From Washington Post • Mar. 18, 2023

My mother-in-law, who was a former teacher, regarded me with some surprise and then said in a rather peevish way, “No, Zindzi cannot come and see you because she is not yet sixteen.”

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela