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Churlish vs Peevish - What's the difference?

churlish | peevish |

As adjectives the difference between churlish and peevish

is that churlish is of or pertaining to a serf, peasant, or rustic while peevish is constantly complaining; fretful, whining.

churlish

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • of or pertaining to a serf, peasant, or rustic
  • * 1996 , Jeet Heer, Gravitas , Autumn 1996
    • [...] the eloquence and truth of his tribute stands in marked contrast to Kramer's churlish caricature of Kael as a happy pig wallowing in the dirt.
  • rude, surly, ungracious
  • stingy or grudging
  • (of soil) difficult to till, lacking pliancy; unmanageable
  • *1730–1774 , Oliver Goldsmith, Introductory to Switzerland
  • *:Where the bleak Swiss their stormy mansion tread,t
  • *:And force a churlish soil for scanty bread.

    • Synonyms

    * (of or pertaining to a serf) rustic * (rude or surly) cross-grained, rude, surly, ungracious * (stingy or grudging) grudging, illiberal, miserly, niggardly, stingy

    Related terms

    * churl * churldom * churled * churlhood * churlishly * churlishness

    peevish

    English

    Alternative forms

    * (l), (l) (obsolete)

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Constantly complaining; fretful, whining.
  • * , King Henry V , act 3, scene 7:
    • Orleans: What a wretched and peevish fellow is this king of England, to mope with his fat-brained followers so far out of his knowledge!
  • * 1813 , , Pride and Prejudice , ch. 41:
    • [T]he luckless Kitty continued in the parlour repining at her fate in terms as unreasonable as her accent was peevish .
  • * 1917 , , "The Mixer" in The Man With Two Left Feet and Other Stories :
    • At first he was quite peevish . "What's the idea," he said, "coming and spoiling a man's beauty-sleep? Get out."

    Derived terms

    * peevishly * peevishness