Definition

Noun: A minor annoyance or irritation that a particular individual finds especially frustrating or bothersome, often to a degree that seems disproportionate to others. It is a personal, specific source of frequent complaint.

Usage

A "pet peeve" is a personal and often idiosyncratic irritation. It is used to describe something that consistently bothers you more than it might bother other people. It is a common topic in casual conversation to share personal quirks or frustrations.

Examples

• Grammatical mistakes are his pet peeve.
• One of my biggest pet peeves is when people are late.
• She listed loud chewing as a pet peeve during the discussion.
• It's just a pet peeve of mine when drivers don't use their turn signals.

Advanced Usage

• "To have a pet peeve about something": This phrasing emphasizes the personal ownership of the irritation.
  • I have a real pet peeve about people who talk during movies.
• "A major/biggest pet peeve": Used to rank the annoyance among others.
  • My biggest pet peeve is poor customer service.

Variants and Related Words

• Annoyance (n): The feeling of being irritated or the source of such a feeling. (More general than "pet peeve").
• Irritant (n): Something that causes annoyance. (Can be more physical, e.g., an irritant to the skin).
• Gripe (n, informal): A complaint, often minor. (Similar, but "pet peeve" is the persistent of the gripe).

Synonyms

• Bugbear
• Irritation
• Bête noire (from French, implies a strong dislike or aversion)

Antonyms

• Pleasure
• Delight
• Preference

Related Idioms

• "It gets on my nerves": An informal way to express that something annoys you.
  • That constant tapping really gets on my nerves. (This could be describing a pet peeve).
• "A thorn in one's side": A persistent source of annoyance or trouble. (Often more serious than a pet peeve).

Noun

1. an opportunity for complaint that is seldom missed
   • grammatical mistakes are his pet peeve