Someone who is peevish is bad-tempered. Aubrey had slept little and that always made him peevish She glared down at me with a peevish expression on her face. + peevishly peev·ish·ly Brian sighed peevishly She had grown ever more peevishly dependent on him. + peevishness peev·ish·ness He complained with characteristic peevishness. easily annoyed by small and unimportant things bad-tempered