pique

1 of 3

verb

ˈpēk 

piqued; piquing

transitive verb

1

a

: to excite or arouse especially by a provocation, challenge, or rebuff

sly remarks to pique their curiosity

b

: pride

he piques himself on his skill as a cook

2

: to arouse anger or resentment in : irritate

what piques linguistic conservatives

—T. H. Middleton

pique

2 of 3

noun (1)

ˈpēk 

: a transient feeling of wounded vanity : resentment

a fit of pique

piqué

3 of 3

noun (2)

pi·​qué pi-ˈkā 

ˈpē-ˌkā

variants or pique

1

: a durable ribbed clothing fabric of cotton, rayon, or silk

2

: decoration of a tortoiseshell or ivory object with inlaid fragments of gold or silver

Synonyms

Verb

• aggravate
• annoy
• bother
• bug
• burn (up)
• chafe
• eat
• exasperate
• frost
• gall
• get
• grate
• gripe
• hack (off)
• irk
• irritate
• itch
• nark [British]
• nettle
• peeve
• persecute
• put out
• rasp
• rile
• ruffle
• spite
• vex

Noun (1)

• dudgeon
• huff
• miff
• offense
• offence
• peeve
• resentment
• umbrage

Choose the Right Synonym for pique

Verb

provoke, excite, stimulate, pique, quicken mean to arouse as if by pricking.

provoke directs attention to the response called forth.

my stories usually provoke laughter

excite implies a stirring up or moving profoundly.

news that excited anger and frustration

stimulate suggests a rousing out of lethargy, quiescence, or indifference.

stimulating conversation

pique suggests stimulating by mild irritation or challenge.

that remark piqued my interest

quicken implies beneficially stimulating and making active or lively.

the high salary quickened her desire to have the job

Noun (1)

offense, resentment, umbrage, pique, dudgeon, huff mean an emotional response to or an emotional state resulting from a slight or indignity.

offense implies hurt displeasure.

takes deep offense at racial slurs

resentment suggests lasting indignation or ill will.

harbored a lifelong resentment of his brother

umbrage may suggest hurt pride, resentment, or suspicion of another's motives.

took umbrage at the offer of advice

pique applies to a transient feeling of wounded vanity.

in a pique I foolishly declined the invitation

dudgeon suggests an angry fit of indignation.

stormed out of the meeting in high dudgeon

huff implies a peevish short-lived spell of anger usually at a petty cause.

in a huff he slammed the door

Examples of pique in a Sentence

Verb

The first chorus … stirred my heart, the second piqued my sense of camp and the rest of them had me checking my watch. —David Gates, Newsweek, 4 Mar. 2002

The posthumous revelation of Cheever's alcoholism, numerous infidelities and bisexuality may have piqued interest precisely because he presented himself so earnestly as the Man in the Brooks Brothers Suit. —Mary Gordon, New York Times Book Review, 6 Oct. 1991

Some environmentalists worry that the natural behavior patterns of whales are being altered by tourist boats that pique the animals' curiosity. —Jack McCallum, Sports Illustrated, 21 Aug. 1989

In case your interest is being piqued just an itsy-bitsy, teeny-weeny … bit, the Davis Cup will confuse you totally by calling every competition between contending teams a "tie." —Frank Deford, Sports Illustrated, 11 Apr. 1988

Brightly colored objects pique a baby's interest.

her seat companion piqued her by repeatedly poking her in the ribs

Noun (1)

And yet the democracy flourishing in Taiwan has been greeted in other parts of the Chinese-speaking world with a certain pique, and even with hostility. —Ian Buruma, New Republic, 3 Apr. 2000

… when a beast that weighs 1,200 pounds goes crazy with some kind of stupid pique or jealousy in a room not much bigger than the handicapped stall in the Denver airport men's room, bad things will happen … —Hunter S. Thompson, Rolling Stone, 15 Dec. 1994

He hit balls toward the umpire's chair and out of the stadium: he spat water toward the umpire on changeovers; and in still greater fits of pique, he broke three rackets. —Jamie Diaz, Sports Illustrated, 2 Mar. 1987

After a moment of pique, the senator responded calmly to his accusers.

He slammed the door in a fit of pique.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

The slow but steady march of crypto products into mainstream financial systems — El Salvador adopted Bitcoin as legal tender in 2021 — has piqued broader interest in the subject. —Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 19 Oct. 2024

The Incredible Kindness of Paper comes out Aug. 12, 2025 from Atria Books and PEOPLE has an exclusive first look at the cover — plus an excerpt to get readers' interest piqued for the summer release. —Lizz Schumer, People.com, 11 Oct. 2024

Noun

The final blow came when his two long-time friends, Dirksen and Russell, abandoned Johnson, the latter in a pique over Ramsey Clark’s handling of a district court judgeship. —Michael Bobelian, TIME, 7 Oct. 2024

Even worse, his negative attitude toward Ukraine isn’t rooted in a grand strategic vision; it is rooted in his personal pique over Ukraine’s nonexistent participation in a fictional conspiracy. —David French, The Mercury News, 19 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun (1)

French piquer, literally, to prick — more at pike

Noun (2)

French piqué, from past participle of piquer to prick, quilt

First Known Use

Verb

1669, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Noun (1)

1551, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1852, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

pique

1 of 3 noun

ˈpēk 

1

: offense taken by one treated with disrespect or looked down upon

2

: a sudden feeling of resentment

pique

2 of 3 verb

piqued; piquing

1

: to arouse anger or resentment in : irritate

especially : to offend by treating with disrespect

2

: excite sense 1, arouse

the package piqued my curiosity

piqué

3 of 3 noun

pi·​qué

variants or pique

pi-ˈkā  ˈpē-ˌkā 

: a ribbed fabric of cotton, rayon, or silk