What does peckishness mean?
Peckishness is an informal noun for the mild, ordinary hunger that can arise between meals or after a long stretch without food. It is used more often in British English, although the word is readily understood in American English as well. The expression suggests that a light snack would be sufficient; it normally does not describe intense starvation. A person who feels peckish may say they are hungry, while another speaker might emphasize that only a little food is needed. The word has a friendly, conversational tone and often appears in light conversational or literary contexts. Its close relative, the adjective peckish, is especially common in expressions such as feeling peckish. Together, the noun and adjective are useful for describing the everyday sensation of an appetite that has begun to make itself known without yet becoming urgent.
nounThe state of being slightly hungry, especially just before a meal or when one is in need of a light snack.
- The condition of being mildly or slightly hungry.
"By late afternoon, a touch of peckishness had made her search the kitchen for something to eat."
"We stopped at a café because I was feeling a bit peckish."
"Her peckishness disappeared as soon as she sat down to a full breakfast."
The plural is grammatically regular but rarely used, since peckishness is normally treated as an uncountable condition.
"Brief spells of peckishness were relieved by biscuits and strong tea."
Peckishness is the polite name for that between-meal rumble that sends you hunting for a snack.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does peckishness come from?
Peckishness was formed by adding the noun-forming suffix -ness to peckish. Peckish combines an older English peck with the suffix -ish and is used to describe a slight appetite; the same English root is also found in peck, pecker, and pecking. The vocabulary is native to English rather than a borrowing from another language.
How peckishness is actually used
Informal and especially common in British English. It is understood in American English but used less often there. It denotes mild hunger rather than severe hunger or hunger accompanied by distress.