Dictionary
Thesaurus
Medical
Scrabble®
Spanish Central
Browse DictionaryBrowse Thesaurus
Get our free apps!iPhone•iPad•Android
Games
Word of the Day
Video
Blog: Words at Play
My Faves
Dictionary

pesky

adjective pes·ky \ˈpes-kē\

: making someone annoyed or irritated

pes·ki·erpes·ki·est

Full Definition of PESKY

:  troublesome, vexatious <pesky issues>
See pesky defined for English-language learners
See pesky defined for kids
ADVERTISEMENT

Origin of PESKY

probably irregular from pest + 1-y
First Known Use: 1775

Related to PESKY

Synonyms
abrasive, aggravating, bothersome, carking, chafing, disturbing, exasperating, frustrating, galling, irksome, irritating, maddening, nettlesome, nettling, peeving, annoying, pestiferous, pestilent, pestilential, pesty, plaguey (also plaguy), rankling, rebarbative, riling, vexatious, vexing
PESKY Defined for Kids

pesky

adjective pes·ky \ˈpe-skē\
pesk·i·erpesk·i·est

Definition of PESKY for Kids

:  troublesome 1 <pesky ants>

Learn More About PESKY

Browse

Next Word in the Dictionary: pesoPrevious Word in the Dictionary: peskinessAll Words Near: pesky
ADVERTISEMENT
10 Charming Words for Nasty People
Put-downs with flair
Learn More
When "Literally" isn't, well, literal
How to use a word that (literally) drives some people nuts.
Watch Now
Know what this is?
Test your vocab with our fun, fast game
Go Play
Fear of cats?
Ailurophobia, and 9 other unusual fears
Learn More
Join Us
Merriam-Webster
on Facebook
Merriam-Webster
on Twitter
Bookstore: Digital and Print
Merriam-Webster references for Mobile, Kindle, print, and more.
See All
Other Merriam-Webster Dictionaries