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Peevish vs Grouchy - What's the difference?

peevish | grouchy |

As adjectives the difference between peevish and grouchy

is that peevish is constantly complaining; fretful, whining while grouchy is irritable; easily upset; angry; tending to complain.

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

    grouchy

    English

    Adjective

    (er)
  • Irritable; easily upset; angry; tending to complain.
  • His boss gets grouchy when deadlines draw near.
  • * 1911 , , Chapter III,
  • Not that young Pat had a nasty temper, or was grouchy as his father had feared.
  • * 1922 , , Chapter XXXI,
  • He went in to mumble that he was "sorry, didn't mean to be grouchy ," and to inquire as to her interest in movies.
  • * 1922 , Henry William Fischer, , Author's Preface,
  • In Berlin I once heard Susie Clemens—ill-fated, talented girl, who died so young—say to her father: "Grouchy again! They do say that you can be funny when company is around—too bad that you don't consider Henry Fisher company."

    Synonyms

    * cranky * grumpy * tetchy

    References