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 of annoy

• irritate
• bother
• bug
• persecute
• aggravate

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

Getting dropped to Division 3 this season does annoy the Scotties. —Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Apr. 2026

Who would have thought a suite of songs that cover being annoyed at TV chef Jamie Oliver and some rich Tesla driver moving into an old flame’s flat would be so comprehensively devastating? —Mikael Wood, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2026

Unless you’re annoyed at paying the junior engineers $300,000 a year straight out of school. —Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 3 Apr. 2026

The platform’s staff has seemed minorly annoyed at the shots Denk and others at Beehiiv have taken as Substack has moved from disruptor to incumbent. —Max Tani, semafor.com, 30 Mar. 2026

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

Rhymes for annoy

• ahoy
• alloy
• carboy
• convoy
• cowboy
• decoy
• deploy
• destroy
• employ
• employe
• enjoy
• kilroy

Kids Definition

annoy

verb

an·​noy ə-ˈnȯi 

: to disturb or irritate especially by repeated acts : vex

annoyer noun