Wayward, stubborn; impudent; petulant.

Touchy, testy, peevish, crabbed.

Irritable, querulous; childishly fretful; characterized by or exhibiting petty bad temper. Of people.

= proterve, adj.

Of a person or his or her behaviour: subject to fits of offended ill humour; childishly bad-tempered and petulant; peevish, sulky. Formerly also…

Cross, peevish, testy.

Chafing, fretful. Of a horse: Impatient. Also transferred.

Irritable, peevish; (also) malicious, spiteful. Cf. teen, n.1 3a.

Sour-tempered, cross, disagreeable, peevish. Chiefly English regional in later use.

Peevish, bad-tempered.

Disposed to fret, irritable, peevish, ill-tempered; impatient, restless.

(See quots.)

Fretful, peevish.

Froward, fretful, peevish.

†(a) Arrogant, choleric. (b) Ready to take ‘huff’ or offence; touchy, pettish.

figurative. ‘Biting’, ill-natured, peevish. (Cf. teethy, adj.1) northern dialect and Scottish.

That whines, complains, or mopes; peevish, ailing, fretful.

Refractory, unruly; now chiefly, cross, fretful, peevish; esp. of children.

Rather cross or peevish.

(a) Arrogant, insolent. (b) Petulant.

Exhibiting or prone to peevish impatience or irritability, esp. over trivial matters; childishly sulky or bad-tempered.

Obstinate, rebellious; bad-tempered, unruly; = fractious, adj.

Of a person or of the mouth: inclined to pout; (of the lips) thick or full. Also: sulky or petulant; alluring or flirtatious.

Of a child: fretful, peevish. Scottish and English regional (East Anglian). Now rare.

Fretful, irritable, uneasy.

Characterized by or given to whining or moaning; fretful, agitated, complaining.

Dazed, confused, esp. from lack of sleep; (esp. of a child) fretful, peevish, cross. Also: stupid, dull-witted.

Inclined to fret. Of persons: Fretful; irritable.

= pettish, adj.

Irritable, cross, testy.

Given to fretting.

Inclined to grizzle or complain whiningly; fretful, fractious, peevish.

humorous and ironic. Unruly; peevish; = fractious, adj. rare.