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Definition of pique noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

pique

noun
 
/piːk/
 
/piːk/
[uncountable] (formal)
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  1. annoyed or bitter feelings that you have, usually because you believe that you have not been treated with enough respect
    • When he realized nobody was listening to him, he left in a fit of pique.
    • She’d lied about it out of pique.
    Homophones peak | peek | piquepeak   peek   pique
     
    /piːk/
     
    /piːk/
    • peak noun
      • Mount McKinley is the highest peak in North America.
    • peak verb
      • Inflation is expected to peak in December.
    • peek verb
      • I have to peek out from behind a cushion when watching horror films.
    • peek noun
      • She sneaked a peek at her watch.
    • pique noun
      • He smashed his racket in a fit of pique.
    • pique verb
      • He knew the cutting remark would pique his friend's vanity.
    Topics Feelingsc2
    Word Originmid 16th cent. (denoting animosity between two or more people): from French piquer ‘prick, irritate’.
See pique in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary
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noun
 
 
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