Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Peevish \Pee"vish\, a. [OE. pevische; of uncertain origin, perh.
   from a word imitative of the noise made by fretful children +
   -ish.]
   1. Habitually fretful; easily vexed or fretted; hard to
      please; apt to complain; querulous; petulant. ``Her
      peevish babe.'' --Wordsworth.

            She is peevish, sullen, froward.      --Shak.

   2. Expressing fretfulness and discontent, or unjustifiable
      dissatisfaction; as, a peevish answer.

   3. Silly; childish; trifling. [Obs.]

            To send such peevish tokens to a king. --Shak.

   Syn: Querulous; petulant; cross; ill-tempered; testy;
        captious; discontented. See {Fretful}.

Source : WordNet®

peevish
     adj : easily irritated or annoyed; "an incorrigibly fractious
           young man"; "not the least nettlesome of his
           countrymen" [syn: {cranky}, {fractious}, {irritable}, {nettlesome},
            {peckish}, {pettish}, {petulant}, {testy}, {tetchy}, {techy}]