peevish

/ˈpiːvɪʃ/

//ˈpiːvɪʃ// adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"peevish" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“peevish” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as an adjective - the kind of word writers most often double-check.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
7
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Constantly complaining, especially in a childish way due to insignificant matters; fretful, whiny.

Key facts for peevish
PropertyValue
Headwordpeevish
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈpiːvɪʃ/
Letters7
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “peevish” sits in English frequency

peevish falls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for peevish is 7 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈpiːvɪʃ/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 11 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

peevish has no tracked misspelling variants, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: The adjective is derived from Late Middle English pievish, peuysche, pevish, pevysh (“capricious, wilful; perverse, wayward”); further etymology uncertain, possibly from one of the following: * From an unattested Old French word, from Latin perversus (“corr… The correct English form is peevish, spelled P-E-E-V-I-S-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    Constantly complaining, especially in a childish way due to insignificant matters; fretful, whiny.
  2. 2
    Quick to become bad-tempered or cross, especially due to insignificant matters; irritable, pettish, petulant.
  3. 3
    Of weather: blustery, windy; also, of wind: cold and strong; bitter, sharp.
  4. 4
    Coy, modest.
  5. 5
    Foolish, silly.
  6. 6
    Harmful, injurious; also, mischievous; or malicious, spiteful.
  7. 7
    Impulsive and unpredictable; capricious, fickle.
  8. 8
    Obstinately in the wrong; perverse, stubborn.
  9. 9
    Out of one's mind; mad.
  10. 10
    Of a thing: evoking a feeling of distaste, horror, etc.
  11. 11
    Clever, skilful.

Etymology

The adjective is derived from Late Middle English pievish, peuysche, pevish, pevysh (“capricious, wilful; perverse, wayward”); further etymology uncertain, possibly from one of the following: * From an unattested Old French word, from Latin perversus (“corrupted, perverted, subverted; overthrown”), the perfect passive participle of pervertō (“to corrupt, subvert; to overthrow”), from per- (prefix meaning ‘intensively, thoroughly’) + vertō (“to turn; to turn upside down, overturn, overthrow, subvert”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *wert- (“to rotate; to turn”)). However, the Oxford English Dictionary says this derivation “presents some formal difficulties”. * From Middle French *expaive + -ish (similar to; somewhat, rather). *Expaive is an unattested variant of Middle French espave, Old French espave (“(adjective) of an animal: stray; of a person: foreign; (noun) flotsam; lost property”) (referring to the behaviour of stray animals; modern French épave), from Latin expavidus (“extremely frightened or horrified”), from ex- (intensifying prefix) + pavidus (“fearful, terrified; quaking, trembling; shy, timid”) (from paveō (“to be afraid; fear; to quake or tremble with fear”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *paw- (“to hit, strike”)) + -idus (suffix meaning ‘tending to’ forming adjectives)). The adverb is derived from the adjective.

Synonyms

bemoaningcarpingcomplainingfretfulgripefulgripeygrotchygrouchygrumblinggrumpyknappishkvetchymardymoaningnoodgypeevishpettishplaintfulqueruloussookyspleenysulkywhingywhiningwhiny

Antonyms

expressionlesshappycalmimpassivepatientphlegmaticstoicstoicaltolerantuncomplainingunflappableunpeevish

This word in other languages

alaraco(Español)geignard(Français)gereizt(Deutsch)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "peevish"?
"peevish" is spelled P-E-E-V-I-S-H. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpiːvɪʃ/.
What does "peevish" mean?
As an adjective, "peevish" means: Constantly complaining, especially in a childish way due to insignificant matters; fretful, whiny.
How do you pronounce "peevish"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "peevish" is /ˈpiːvɪʃ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "peevish"?
The adjective is derived from Late Middle English pievish, peuysche, pevish, pevysh (“capricious, wilful; perverse, wayward”); further etymology uncertain, possibly from one of the following: * From an unattested Old French word, from Latin perver... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “peevish”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is P-E-E-V-I-S-H - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈpiːvɪʃ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list