annoy

verb

an·​noy ə-ˈnȯi 

annoyed; annoying; annoys

transitive verb

1

: to disturb or irritate especially by repeated acts

annoyed the neighbors with their loud arguments

2

: to harass especially by quick brief attacks

intransitive verb

: to cause annoyance

annoyer noun

Synonyms

• aggravate
• bother
• bug
• burn (up)
• chafe
• eat
• exasperate
• frost
• gall
• get
• grate
• gripe
• hack (off)
• irk
• irritate
• itch
• nark [British]
• nettle
• peeve
• persecute
• pique
• put out
• rasp
• rile
• ruffle
• spite
• vex

Choose the Right Synonym for annoy

annoy, vex, irk, bother mean to upset a person's composure.

annoy implies a wearing on the nerves by persistent petty unpleasantness.

their constant complaining annoys us

vex implies greater provocation and stronger disturbance and usually connotes anger but sometimes perplexity or anxiety.

vexed by her son's failure to clean his room

irk stresses difficulty in enduring and the resulting weariness or impatience of spirit.

careless waste irks the boss

bother suggests interference with comfort or peace of mind.

don't bother me while I'm reading

synonyms see in addition worry

Examples of annoy in a Sentence

deliberately annoyed the elderly neighbor by walking across his lawn

Recent Examples on the Web

Thankfully, as that practice got annoying a very long time ago. —Paul Tassi, Forbes, 26 Dec. 2024

While is seems cats do things just to annoy their owners, there are reasons. —Tribune Content Agency, The Mercury News, 20 Dec. 2024

Local businesspeople and farmers, annoyed by an expensive and unreliable electricity supply and lured by cheap Chinese solar panels, were covering the roofs of homes, factories, and stores with photovoltaic arrays. —Bill McKibben, The New Yorker, 13 Dec. 2024

Yates’ behavior annoyed his first pair of cellmates, who demanded he be removed, his father said. —Kelly Davis, The Mercury News, 23 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English anoien, from Anglo-French anuier, ennoier, from Late Latin inodiare to make loathsome, from Latin in + odium hatred — more at odium

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Kids Definition

annoy

verb

an·​noy ə-ˈnȯi 

: to disturb or irritate especially by repeated acts : vex

annoyer noun