Miffing

Part of speech: verb, adjective

Definitions

1. To provoke annoyance or displeasure in someone
2. To cause slight irritation or upset due to a minor grievance or misunderstanding
3. To create a feeling of resentment or dissatisfaction through a petty action or remark

Etymology: "Miffing" is the present participle and gerund of "miff", so the story belongs to the verb itself. Its likely roots lie in the sounds of sulky complaint: it is compared with German "muffeln", meaning to grumble or grouse, and with a cluster of similar German and Dutch words, such as Dutch "moppen", meaning to growl or grouse. Those words suggest a noise of discontent, something between a grumble and a pout. The verb may also be related to "mop", an old word for a grimace, so the sense may have started with a sulky face before it described a sulky mood. The core idea, then, is a small, wordless display of displeasure rather than a dramatic quarrel. A person who is miffed is grumbling inwardly, the way a child mutters after being told no. That shade of meaning explains why the word feels so mild: its ancestors describe the low, sour noise of someone not getting their way, not outright anger.

Synonyms: annoying, irritating, offending

Antonyms: pleasing, delighting