as in annoying
causing annoyance
the pesky problem of what to do with all the leftovers
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Recent Examples of pesky
UConn started the game shooting just 3-for-17 from the field, but stayed in it with their pesky defensive effort, led by Diarra.
—
Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 23 Mar. 2025
Lanier is a score-first guard who is bombs away from deep, while Zeigler is one of the peskiest defenders in the country.
—Rohan Nadkarni, NBC news, 21 Mar. 2025
The team plays a pesky, high-pressure style of basketball, which has proven difficult for some opponents.
—Kels Dayton, Hartford Courant, 19 Mar. 2025
Fanny was a wunderkind pianist and composer but, unlike her brother Felix, wasn’t able to pursue anything at a professional level, owing to pesky societal expectations.
—Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 14 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pesky
Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 23 Mar. 2025
Lanier is a score-first guard who is bombs away from deep, while Zeigler is one of the peskiest defenders in the country.
—Rohan Nadkarni, NBC news, 21 Mar. 2025
The team plays a pesky, high-pressure style of basketball, which has proven difficult for some opponents.
—Kels Dayton, Hartford Courant, 19 Mar. 2025
Fanny was a wunderkind pianist and composer but, unlike her brother Felix, wasn’t able to pursue anything at a professional level, owing to pesky societal expectations.
—Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 14 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pesky
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pesky
Adjective
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Few things are as annoying as a vacuum cleaner that leaves a strip of dust by the baseboards and in the corners.—
Yelena Moroz Alpert,
Architectural Digest,
9 Apr. 2025
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Ding-dong ditched … well into adulthood—one person rang a neighbor's doorbell repeatedly just to be annoying.—
Gordon G. Chang,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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For many people, these medications provide a way out of the frustrating cycle of dieting and regaining weight.—
Rowan Briggs,
Mercury News,
3 Apr. 2025
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Those interest rates matter, because of the frustrating math of inflation.—
Daniel de Visé,
USA Today,
3 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Atopic dermatitis is a chronic condition with genetic and environmental causes, whereas atopic dermatitis stems from an irritating substance that triggers a rash.—
Susan Bard,
Verywell Health,
2 Apr. 2025
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Going Overboard with Outdoor Lighting Light pollution can be just as irritating as that dog down the street who barks like clockwork for 30 minutes every night.—
Patricia Shannon,
Southern Living,
29 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pesky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pesky. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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