A short, stinging burst of displeasure springing from bruised pride or vanity.
A short, stinging burst of displeasure springing from bruised pride or vanity — “a fit of pique.” (As a verb, now usually “to stir or excite,” as in piqued curiosity.)
The most specialized member: a passing, often peevish prick set off specifically by a knock to one's self-regard, and gone almost as quickly. This marks it off from annoyance and irritation (any small bother, no pride at stake) and from frustration (a blocked goal). The Century Dictionary contrasts it with umbrage: pique is “a matter of injured self-respect... more fugitive,” while umbrage is about being overshadowed. Note the major usage split below — the angry verb sense has largely given way to the neutral “stir interest.”
A brief, sharp flash of displeasure rooted in wounded vanity or a perceived slight — “a fit of pique.”
The core noun sense: transient, often petulant, and tied to self-regard.
To excite or arouse — especially curiosity or interest (“it piqued my curiosity”).
A softened sense from the 1690s, now the most common use; the older “to offend / irritate” verb sense is now chiefly British.
Noun 1530s, “slight offense from wounded pride,” from French pique “a prick, sting, irritation,” from piquer “to prick, sting.” Verb 1670s “to nettle, irritate”; the softened “to stimulate, excite” sense dates from the 1690s.
A sourced long-run shift: the verb's original force was “to irritate / offend,” but a softened “to stimulate, excite” sense arose by the 1690s and is now the dominant use (“piqued my curiosity”), with the angry sense receding (especially in American English). This is a centuries-long change, not a recent-generation one.