piqued 1 of 2

adjective

as in infuriated

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piqued

2 of 2

verb

past tense of pique
1
as in annoyed
to disturb the peace of mind of (someone) especially by repeated disagreeable acts her seat companion piqued her by repeatedly poking her in the ribs

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in provoked
to rouse to strong feeling or action their sarcastic comments piqued him to respond in kind

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in prided
to think highly of (oneself) she piques herself on her considerable musical abilities

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of piqued
Verb
With his curiosity piqued, Rabtsevich dug through the TESS archives for more data on the same star and found an additional 22 instances of dimming. — Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 14 Oct. 2026 The spotlight surrounding Mac’s love life intensified, as his relationship piqued the interest of TMZ and other tabloids, along with the watchful eyes of millions of Arianators. — Michael Saponara, Billboard, 13 Oct. 2026 But the idea piqued Cruise’s interest; the actor was a longtime fan of the director. — Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 7 Oct. 2026 The Chinese government’s interest may have been piqued by Rogers’ behavior on dating apps. — Eamon Javers, CNBC, 30 Sep. 2026 Indeed, most people seemed to use the panels as a chance to sit quietly and reply to emails or put the final touches on a working paper, only emerging from their absorption when a specific presentation piqued their curiosity. — Bartolomeo Sala, The Dial, 29 Sep. 2026 But watching her now-husband buy a house piqued her interest in the industry. — Michael Butler, Miami Herald, 21 Sep. 2026 The unusual circumstances that piqued the interest of casual players was hailed as a once-in-a-lifetime gift that would widen the playing field for gaming consumers. — Jennifer Maas, Variety, 10 Sep. 2026 Learning about his great grandmother, Sarah Miller, whom his mother had known as a child, piqued his interest. — Lesley Stahl, CBS News, 6 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for piqued
  1. outraged
  2. annoyed
  3. provoked
  4. prided
  5. angry
  6. bothered
  7. encouraged
  8. congratulated
Adjective
  • The alleged crime has left the neighborhood shocked, hurt and outraged.
    — Christina Fan, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Tall Paul said through an outraged mouthful of banoffee doughnut.
    — Kevin Barry, New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of outraged
Verb
  • Returning the sarcasm tends to cause the same problem, with two people annoyed instead of one.
    — Angela Haupt, Time, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Williams is annoyed and wants order while Kirke is hardly paying attention and lugs vases of flowers through her home.
    — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of annoyed
Verb
  • Sectarian violence made religious mobilization increasingly unattractive, while foreign occupation provoked an awareness of Iraqi nationhood.
    — Mansoor Moaddel, Foreign Affairs, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Even in a country with one of the highest murder rates in the world, the scale of the killings in such a short space of time has provoked shock.
    — Nimi Princewill, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of provoked
Verb
  • The country that prided itself on being an oasis of democracy in the Middle East had replaced freedom of expression with the unfettered right to incite vengeance.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and Neil Peart, of course, played every note on their albums, whereas Becker and Fagen eventually prided themselves on seeking out world-class session musicians.
    — Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of prided
Adjective
  • Protests by high school students angry about dilapidated, understaffed schools have roiled France since mid-September.
    — JOHN LEICESTER, Arkansas Online, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Keeping The Faith So all’s well that ends well, and frantic, for Halfway 2 Jesus, Rock’s 13th album and the follow-up to 2022’s angry, politically charged Bad Reputation.
    — Gary Graff, Billboard, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of angry
Verb
  • This is a dense picture—there’s almost too much to unpack, if you can be bothered to care about any of it.
    — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Being different has never bothered Dublin coach Roger Holmes.
    — Jack Leo, AJC.com, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of bothered
Verb
  • He was encouraged to do so by Sadie Sink, who returned to Broadway in 2025 John Proctor is the Villain.
    — Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 17 Oct. 2026
  • For businesses, flood panels are not only permissible but also encouraged via flood insurance discounts.
    — Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of encouraged
Verb
  • Last week, Mancini congratulated Flanagan on his series adaptation of King’s 1974 debut novel.
    — Glenn Garner, Deadline, 7 Oct. 2026
  • The French Academy of Sciences, of which Kagan is a member, congratulated the two scientists and expressed its pride in the prize.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of congratulated

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Cite this Entry

“Piqued.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/piqued. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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