The meaning of Pique

noun

An action or remark that causes outrage or offence.

Usage examples:

He took his son's desertion as a personal affront

verb

Offend the modesty or values of.

Usage examples:

She was affronted by his familiarity

noun

A strong feeling of annoyance, displeasure, or hostility.

Usage examples:

The colonel's anger at his daughter's disobedience

verb

Fill (someone) with anger; provoke anger in.

Usage examples:

She was angered by his terse answer

noun

The feeling people get when something unfair, painful, or bad happens

Usage examples:

You need to control your anger., he yelled at them in anger., his constant complaining only angered…

verb

Make (someone) a little angry; irritate.

Usage examples:

The decision really annoyed him

verb

To make someone slightly angry or upset

Usage examples:

I know you’re doing this only to annoy me., [ u ] as soon as he saw me, a look of annoyance crossed…

noun

The feeling or state of being annoyed; irritation.

Usage examples:

There was annoyance at the interruption

noun

The feeling or state of being annoyed

Usage examples:

I can understand your annoyance - i'd be furious if she ever treated me like that., (much) to our a…

verb

Evoke or awaken (a feeling, emotion, or response).

Usage examples:

Something about the man aroused the guard's suspicions

verb

Rouse from sleep; cause to stop sleeping.

Usage examples:

Anna was awakened by the telephone

verb

To stop sleeping, or to cause someone to stop sleeping

Usage examples:

[ t ] the family was awakened by a noise., [ t ] his television series awakened popular interest in…

verb

Take the trouble to do something.

Usage examples:

Scientists rarely bother with such niceties

noun

Effort, trouble, or difficulty.

Usage examples:

He saved me the bother of having to come up with a speech

exclamation

Used to express mild irritation or impatience.

Usage examples:

‘bother!’ she muttered

verb

Make (someone) angry or dissatisfied.

Usage examples:

Nothing disgruntles anyone more than the feeling they are being cheated

verb

Make (someone) feel annoyed or dissatisfied.

Usage examples:

The tone of the letter displeased him

verb

To cause someone to be annoyed

Usage examples:

The city council said it was displeased with the way the mayor had allocated parking spaces., they …

noun

A feeling of annoyance or disapproval.

Usage examples:

He started hanging around the local pubs, much to the displeasure of his mother

verb

Annoy; displease.

Usage examples:

Not for worlds would i do aught that might displeasure thee

verb

Irritate and frustrate (someone) intensely.

Usage examples:

This futile process exasperates prison officers

verb

To cause anger or extreme annoyance in someone

Usage examples:

His assistant’s carelessness is exasperating him.

noun

A feeling of intense irritation or annoyance.

Usage examples:

She rolled her eyes in exasperation

noun

The feeling of being annoyed, especially because you can do nothing to solve a problem

Usage examples:

Exasperation at there is growing exasperation within the government at the failure of these policie…

verb

Cause (someone) to feel very enthusiastic and eager.

Usage examples:

Flying still excites me

verb

To make someone have strong feelings, esp. of happiness and enthusiasm

Usage examples:

In some science fiction movies, the music and special effects can really excite audiences., the str…

verb

To cause activity in a market by causing lots of people to buy and sell stocks and shares

Usage examples:

A significant oil find by the group in western india has excited the market., the bullish product u…

noun

Bold and impudent behaviour.

Usage examples:

The bank had the gall to demand a fee

verb

Make (someone) feel annoyed or resentful.

Usage examples:

It galled him to have to sit impotently in silence

noun

An abnormal growth formed in response to the presence of insect larvae, mites, or fungi on plants and trees, especially oaks.

Usage examples:

A single grub feeds on its gall for two years before emerging

verb

Shock or excite (someone) into taking action.

Usage examples:

The urgency of his voice galvanized them into action

noun

Galvanized steel sheeting, typically as used for roofing or fencing.

Usage examples:

The rain was beating hard against miss orilie's galvanize

verb

To cause a person or group to suddenly take action, esp. by shocking or exciting them in some way

Usage examples:

Why not use the media to galvanize the community into action?

noun

Anger or annoyance provoked by what is perceived as unfair treatment.

Usage examples:

The letter filled lucy with indignation

noun

Anger about a situation that you think is wrong or not fair

verb

Make (someone) extremely angry and impatient.

Usage examples:

I was infuriated by your article

verb

Arouse the curiosity or interest of; fascinate.

Usage examples:

I was intrigued by your question

noun

The secret planning of something illicit or detrimental.

Usage examples:

The cabinet was a nest of intrigue

verb

To interest someone, often because of an unusual or unexpected quality

Usage examples:

I was intrigued by his slow, deliberate way of talking and the serious look in his eyes., she has w…

verb

Irritate; annoy.

Usage examples:

It irks her to think of the runaround she received

verb

Make (someone) annoyed or a little angry.

Usage examples:

His tone irritated her

verb

To annoy or make angry

Usage examples:

After a while the noise began to irritate him., at first my contact lenses irritated my eyes.

noun

The state of feeling annoyed, impatient, or slightly angry.

Usage examples:

Much to my irritation, chris fell asleep

verb

Set (something) on fire.

Usage examples:

Last night i built the first fire i've kindled in years and it came back to me, that instinctual pu…

noun

A litter of kittens.

Usage examples:

She was asked to take in a kindle of kittens

verb

To cause a fire to start burning

Usage examples:

Fig. great literature kindled their imaginations (= made them work).

noun

A very fine slender piece of polished metal with a point at one end and a hole or eye for thread at the other, used in sewing.

Usage examples:

A darning needle

verb

Prick or pierce with or as if with a needle.

Usage examples:

Dust needled his eyes

verb

A sharp pointed implement

noun

A herbaceous plant which has jagged leaves covered with stinging hairs.

Usage examples:

These so-called host plants include many broadleaf weeds and cover crops such as nettles, mallow, c…

verb

Irritate or annoy (someone).

Usage examples:

‘i was only asking,’ jess said, nettled

noun

A wild plant with heart-shaped leaves that are covered in hairs that sting (= cause a painful reaction when touched)

Usage examples:

Stinging nettles, nettle soup/tea, she looked up at me sharply, clearly nettled by the interruption.

noun

A breach of a law or rule; an illegal act.

Usage examples:

The new offence of obtaining property by deception

noun

An illegal act or crime

Usage examples:

It is a criminal offence to mislead customers about the price of an item., a serious/major/minor of…

verb

Cause to feel upset, annoyed, or resentful.

Usage examples:

17 per cent of viewers said they had been offended by bad language

verb

To cause to be upset or to hurt the feelings of someone, esp. by being rude or showing a lack of respect

Usage examples:

I think she was offended that she wasn’t invited to the party.

verb

To commit a crime

Usage examples:

She was released from jail, only to offend again three weeks later., the store refused to stock the…

noun

The quality of being childishly sulky or bad-tempered.

Usage examples:

A slight degree of petulance had crept into his voice

noun

The quality of being easily annoyed and complaining in a rude way like a child

Usage examples:

I have never witnessed such a display of childish petulance., displaying a mixture of petulance and…

verb

Stimulate or give rise to (a reaction or emotion, typically a strong or unwelcome one) in someone.

Usage examples:

The decision provoked a storm of protest from civil rights organizations

verb

Provide the needed stimulus for

verb

To try to make a person or an animal angry or annoyed

Usage examples:

He was trying to provoke me into a fight., i’m trying to make people think, provoke their emotions.…

noun

Bitter indignation at having been treated unfairly.

Usage examples:

His resentment at being demoted

noun

A feeling of anger because you have been forced to accept something that you do not like

Usage examples:

He harbours a deep resentment against his parents for his miserable childhood., this decision has c…

verb

Cause to stop sleeping.

Usage examples:

She was roused from a deep sleep by a hand on her shoulder

verb

To wake someone or make someone more active or excited

Usage examples:

She roused him from his sleep.

verb

Disorder or disarrange (someone's hair), typically by running one's hands through it.

Usage examples:

The father laughs and jovially ruffles his son's hair

noun

A strip of lace or other material, gathered along one edge to make an ornamental frill on a garment or other piece of fabric.

Usage examples:

The garment is often trimmed with lace, ruffles, bows and ribbons, optionally with spaghetti straps.

verb

To make someone upset or nervous or reduce someone’s confidence

Usage examples:

[ t ] it ruffled her composure, and she did not know how to respond., a sudden, strong breeze ruffl…

noun

A device with a small spike or a spiked wheel that is worn on a rider's heel and used for urging a horse forward.

Usage examples:

Jacobs said he used the spurs to control the horse and that any force he used was to control the ho…

verb

Urge (a horse) forward by digging one's spurs into its sides.

Usage examples:

She spurred her horse towards the hedge

verb

To encourage an activity or development, or to cause something to develop faster

Usage examples:

The huge new factory spurred economic growth in the entire region., the team's win on saturday will…

verb

Raise levels of physiological or nervous activity in (the body or any biological system).

Usage examples:

The women are given fertility drugs to stimulate their ovaries

verb

To encourage something to grow, develop, or become active

Usage examples:

Tax cuts will stimulate the economy., read books to stimulate your child’s imagination., some veget…

verb

To encourage something to grow, develop, or become active

Usage examples:

The government plans to cut taxes in order to stimulate the economy., stimulate growth/investment/t…

verb

Move a spoon or other implement round in (a liquid or other substance) in order to mix it thoroughly.

Usage examples:

Desmond stirred his tea and ate a biscuit

noun

A slight physical movement.

Usage examples:

I stood, straining eyes and ears for the faintest stir

noun

Prison.

Usage examples:

I've spent twenty-eight years in stir

noun

A person's state of mind seen in terms of their being angry or calm.

Usage examples:

He rushed out in a very bad temper

verb

Improve the hardness and elasticity of (steel or other metal) by reheating and then cooling it.

Usage examples:

The way a smith would temper a sword

noun

The state of your mind or feelings

Usage examples:

[ c ] john has a bad temper., [ u ] a fit of temper, [ c ] you need to learn to control your temper…

noun

Offence or annoyance.

Usage examples:

She took umbrage at his remarks

noun

To feel upset or annoyed, usually because you feel that someone has been rude or shown no respect to you

Usage examples:

Will she take umbrage if she isn't invited to the wedding?

verb

Make (someone) unhappy, disappointed, or worried.

Usage examples:

The accusation upset her

noun

An unexpected result or situation.

Usage examples:

The greatest upset in boxing history

adjective

Unhappy, disappointed, or worried.

Usage examples:

She looked pale and upset

verb

Make (someone) feel annoyed, frustrated, or worried, especially with trivial matters.

Usage examples:

The memory of the conversation still vexed him

adjective

Angry; annoyed.

Usage examples:

I ain't vex with you

verb

To cause someone to feel annoyance or trouble

Usage examples:

The question that vexes ben the most is, "why me?", rising gas prices are a vexing problem.

noun

The state of being annoyed, frustrated, or worried.

Usage examples:

Jenna bit her lip in vexation

noun

Worry or anger

Usage examples:

After several unsuccessful attempts to start his car, he swore in vexation.

verb

Sharpen the blade of (a tool or weapon).

Usage examples:

She took out her dagger and began to whet its blade in even, rhythmic strokes

noun

A thing that stimulates appetite or desire.

Usage examples:

He swallowed his two dozen oysters as a whet