piqued

[ peekt ]

adjective

1. (of interest, curiosity, etc.) excited or aroused:

   By the end of the talk the audience had tons of questions, and left with a piqued interest in the world of lion research.

2. irritated and resentful, especially because of an injury to one’s pride:

   The Act triggered President Truman's piqued reaction: he found the bill "un-American" and vetoed it, but to no avail.

3. (of pride, vanity, etc.) wounded:

   Unimaginable horrors often result from nothing more than a move to second place, a public embarrassment, or a piqued ego.

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of pique ¹( def ).

Other Words From

• un·piqued adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of piqued¹

pique ¹( def ) + -ed ²( def )

Example Sentences

But now that he knows Hollywood banned it, his interest is piqued.

From Los Angeles Times

The pictures, showing a pink and red glow, piqued the interest of hundreds of people, with many praising the "impressive" snaps, but all was not as it seemed.

From BBC

But his curiosity was piqued when he heard about the SGR.

From BBC

This same sense of consternation is ultimately what piqued her interest in “Sweetpea.”

From Salon

My curiosity had been piqued earlier this year, after Spirit got a hearty endorsement from an unlikely source: a federal judge.

From Slate

Related Words

• annoyed
• bitter
• enraged
• exasperated
• furious
• heated
• impassioned
• indignant
• irate
• irritable
• irritated
• mad
• offended
• outraged
• resentful
• sullen
• uptight