Meaning & use
pet peeve
Last updated
UK/pet ˈpiːv/
US/pet ˈpiːv/
Meaning
nouncountableinformal
A minor thing that one particular person finds unusually annoying, often more than others do.
Grammar: Takes a plural: my pet peeves; often introduced by my.
Patterns
- my pet peeve is something
- a pet peeve about something
- biggest pet peeve
My pet peeve is people who read messages and never reply.
Loud chewing is his pet peeve, even at family dinners.
Word forms
| plural | pet peeves |
|---|
Common combinations
- biggest pet peeve
- Her biggest pet peeve is vague meeting invitations.
- pet peeve about
- He has a pet peeve about umbrellas left open indoors.
- minor pet peeve
- Leaving the cap off the marker is only a minor pet peeve.
Synonyms and how they differ
- bugbear
- Bugbear is a persistent annoyance, often British; pet peeve is lighter and personal.
- irritant
- Irritant can be physical or abstract and need not be minor or personal.
- annoyance
- Annoyance is general; pet peeve stresses one person's repeated irritation.
Opposites
Commonly confused: pet peeve or pet hate?
pet peeve vs pet hate
Pet hate is similar and more British; pet peeve is common in American English.
Practice
Which sentence uses pet peeve naturally?
Choose one answer.
A pet peeve is an annoying minor habit or thing; the other choices treat it as an object, person, or verb.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “pet peeve”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.
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