as in to annoy
to disturb the peace of mind of (someone) especially by repeated disagreeable acts
she irked her friend by chewing her gum loudly during the movie
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in headache
something that is a source of irritation
one of the prof's major irks is a cell phone that rings during a lecture
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of irk
Natasha Frost, New York Times, 6 Jan. 2025
There is an obvious, old-school truth to Scheifele and Connor — the two of them have chemistry — which has irked some people who take a new-school, analytics-heavy approach.
—Murat Ates, The Athletic, 30 Dec. 2024
Washington Post, 22 Apr. 2022
The Moderna, Pfizer, and Johnson & Johnson varieties seem to sit somewhere in the middle of the spectrum of immunological irk.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 1 Dec. 2021
See All Example Sentences for irk
Verb
Avoid: These are the fitness trends that irk experts.
—Natasha Frost, New York Times, 6 Jan. 2025
There is an obvious, old-school truth to Scheifele and Connor — the two of them have chemistry — which has irked some people who take a new-school, analytics-heavy approach.
—Murat Ates, The Athletic, 30 Dec. 2024
Noun
The violence gets worse from there, and somehow all that is supposed to fit into a show about a Washington socialite whose biggest irk in the premiere is her rivalry with the first lady.
—Washington Post, 22 Apr. 2022
The Moderna, Pfizer, and Johnson & Johnson varieties seem to sit somewhere in the middle of the spectrum of immunological irk.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 1 Dec. 2021
See All Example Sentences for irk
Recent Examples of Synonyms for irk
Verb
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There was nothing quite like watching Ted win the hearts of everyone around him, from the woman who literally set him up to fail, Rebecca (Hannah Waddingham) to the ready-to-retire and always annoyed Roy Kent (Brett Goldstein).—
EW.com,
EW.com,
19 Feb. 2025
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He's heard perhaps the university chancellor at the time of the formula's creation annoyed the wrong person, and UW-Whitewater has been shorted ever since.—
Kelly Meyerhofer,
Journal Sentinel,
19 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The parasites' arrival in the central nervous system is often marked by a headache.—
Ars Technica,
Ars Technica,
13 Feb. 2025
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But the unusual dismissal order comes with strings attached that could cause continued legal headaches for Adams and put pressure on him to do more to help Trump’s administration with immigration enforcement, experts, including former federal prosecutors and judges, told the Daily News on Tuesday.—
Josephine Stratman,
New York Daily News,
11 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Thankfully, the blood had come from an ongoing ear infection that Roxy had irritated during her panicked state.—
Tom Rogers,
Newsweek,
20 Feb. 2025
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Also, the Cane Toad emits a toxin that irritates skin and eyes.—
Alan Clemons,
Outdoor Life,
20 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Finally, Paddington graduates from nuisance to pathfinder, from struggling to fit in to forging his own identity.—
Natalia Winkelman,
New York Times,
13 Feb. 2025
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What is known is that the area of the attack had been frequently monitored by animal control authorities as a problematic zone where one or more dogs have been reported as being a nuisance or possible danger to the public, dating back to February 2023.—
Noelle Alviz-Gransee,
Kansas City Star,
10 Feb. 2025
Verb
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He is also bothered that the revenue is going to transit and the toll is not geared solely to curbing traffic.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
20 Feb. 2025
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Darvish, who was with the Dodgers, said then and now that he was not bothered by the incident, for which Gurriel served a five-game suspension in 2018.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
19 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Navalny was a thorn in Putin’s side, exposing corruption in high places and orchestrating some of the biggest anti-government protests seen in recent years.—
Anna Cooban,
CNN,
16 Feb. 2025
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The lesser prairie chicken, which was listed in 2023, is similarly a thorn in the side of many Republicans lawmakers.—
Benji Jones,
Vox,
10 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Shaquille O’Neal’s eyes bugged behind his radio-sized Sony VX1000 camcorder.—
Marcus Thompson II,
The Athletic,
15 Feb. 2025
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Quit bugging me with El Paso Zoo The El Paso Zoo in El Paso, Texas is once again naming Madagascar hissing cockroaches after exes.—
Greta Cross,
USA TODAY,
10 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The meeting created a lot of anxiety and frustration in the Ukrainian government, which is concerned about a U.S.-Russian deal behind Kyiv's back.—
Barak Ravid,
Axios,
16 Feb. 2025
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But as Dougherty Valley continued to miss shots, the frustration started to show.—
Nathan Canilao,
The Mercury News,
16 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Irk.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/irk. Accessed 28 Feb. 2025.
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