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annoying

adjective
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an·​noy·​ing | \ ə-ˈnȯi-iŋ How to pronounce annoying (audio) \

Definition of annoying

: causing vexation or irritation : causing annoyance : irritating an annoying habit annoying questions
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Other Words from annoying

annoyingly \ ə-​ˈnȯi-​iŋ-​lē How to pronounce annoying (audio) \ adverb

Examples of annoying in a Sentence

my partner has the annoying habit of eating all the pickles and leaving a jar full of pickle juice in the refrigerator
Recent Examples on the Web Her husband always chimes in on our conversations, and this is very annoying! — Amy Dickinson, oregonlive, "Ask Amy: Living with a relapsing alcoholic puts household’s health at risk," 6 Jan. 2021 Pretty annoying to have to keep picking up and putting down the Apple Pencil, right? — Courtney Linder, Popular Mechanics, "iOS 14 Is Apple's Most Android-Like Update Yet," 22 June 2020 The show’s freest and most prolific stylist is also, for me, the most annoying: El Lissitzky. — Peter Schjeldahl, The New Yorker, "What Are Artists For?," 21 Dec. 2020 Everyone has pet peeves, this sound is a great way to air those grievances without having to confront the person that's really annoying you. — Carolyn Twersky, Seventeen, "The Top 20 Biggest TikTok Trends of 2020," 24 Dec. 2020 All of this might have been merely annoying, except that Schmidt had once been friendly with Fitzpatrick. — New York Times, "He Wanted to Count Every Vote in Philadelphia. His Party Had Other Ideas.," 16 Dec. 2020 But for those with longer hair, stuffing your long locks into a hat can be annoying at minimum and cause a headache at the worst. — Claire Maldarelli, Popular Science, "Gifts for runners braving the cold," 5 Dec. 2020 Characters who have less noticeably exciting traits are forgotten at best or, at worst, dismissed as annoying, holier-than-thou prudes, or cowards. — Sarah Schutte, National Review, "Three Cheers for the Quiet Ones," 28 Nov. 2020 Is there anything more annoying than arriving at the store or your exercise class and realizing you’ve forgotten your mask? — Nicole Anzia, Washington Post, "The pandemic isn’t going anywhere. Here’s how to organize your masks and other supplies.," 17 Nov. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'annoying.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of annoying

14th century, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for annoying

see annoy

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Learn More about annoying

Time Traveler for annoying

Time Traveler

The first known use of annoying was in the 14th century

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Statistics for annoying

Last Updated

18 Jan 2021

Cite this Entry

“Annoying.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/annoying. Accessed 22 Jan. 2021.

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More Definitions for annoying

annoying

adjective
an·​noy·​ing | \ ə-ˈnȯi-iŋ How to pronounce annoying (audio) \

Kids Definition of annoying

: causing slight anger an annoying habit

Other Words from annoying

annoyingly adverb She's annoyingly loud.

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More from Merriam-Webster on annoying

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for annoying

Nglish: Translation of annoying for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of annoying for Arabic Speakers

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