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Synonyms

pet peeve

American  
[pet peev] / ˈpɛt ˈpiv /

noun

  1. a particular and often continual annoyance; personal bugbear.

    This train service is one of my pet peeves.
pet peeve Idioms  

  1. A particular or recurring source of irritation, as in My pet peeve is that neighbor's cat running through my herb garden. [Early 1900s]

Etymology

Origin of pet peeve

An Americanism dating back to 1915–20

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.

One of my biggest pet peeves is the way local news reporters talk.

From Salon

Tell us the word or phrase and why it’s your pet peeve.

From The Wall Street Journal

Ping [email protected] with the word or phrase, and why it’s your pet peeve, and we might circle back and include it in a future story.

From The Wall Street Journal

It’s a pet peeve of hers when someone is multitasking when she’s trying to talk to them.

From The Wall Street Journal

His biggest etiquette pet peeves include underdressing and overfamiliarity, especially in virtual settings.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.