Synonyms of annoying

annoying 1 of 2

adjective

ə-ˈnȯi-iŋ 

as in frustrating

causing annoyance

my partner has the annoying habit of eating all the pickles and leaving a jar full of pickle juice in the refrigerator

Synonyms & Similar Words

• frustrating
• irritating
• disturbing
• aggravating
• irksome
• exasperating
• maddening
• bothersome
• vexing
• painful
• vexatious
• abrasive
• pesky
• nettlesome
• pestilential
• pestiferous
• distractive
• galling
• pesty
• stressful
• infuriating
• peeving
• nettling
• rebarbative
• troubling
• plaguey
• pestilent
• troublesome
• chafing
• mischievous
• biting
• carking
• rankling
• riling
• displeasing
• importunate
• burdensome
• tiresome
• upsetting
• distressing
• offensive
• discomforting
• disquieting
• enraging
• inconveniencing
• worrisome
• trying
• angering
• jarring
• bratty
• importune
• grating
• thorny
• brattish
• spiny
• jangling

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• delightful
• pleasing

annoying

2 of 2

verb

present participle of annoy

as in irritating

to disturb the peace of mind of (someone) especially by repeated disagreeable acts

deliberately annoyed the elderly neighbor by walking across his lawn

Synonyms & Similar Words

• irritating
• bothering
• bugging
• persecuting
• aggravating
• exasperating
• infuriating
• getting
• vexing
• irking
• grating
• worrying
• eating
• itching
• angering
• griping
• burning (up)
• nettling
• ruffling
• chafing
• spiting
• galling
• teasing
• riling
• peeving
• insulting
• plaguing
• hacking (off)
• rasping
• frosting
• getting to
• wearing on
• narking
• piquing
• putting out
• provoking
• harassing
• nagging
• upsetting
• enraging
• rubbing the wrong way
• sticking in one's craw
• getting on one's nerves
• hassling
• heckling
• setting one's teeth on edge
• offending
• getting one's goat
• maddening
• badgering
• unsettling
• pestering
• rousing
• distressing
• antagonizing
• discomforting
• harrying
• agitating
• baiting
• perturbing
• outraging
• inflaming
• disquieting
• incensing
• rankling
• undoing
• roiling
• affronting
• freaking (out)
• fretting
• bullyragging
• unhinging
• exercising
• deviling
• hagriding
• miffing
• discomposing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• obliging
• satisfying
• gratifying
• pleasing
• appeasing
• placating
• pacifying
• conciliating
• reassuring
• delighting
• comforting
• mollifying
• soothing
• cheering
• assuring
• propitiating
• consoling
• quieting
• gladdening
• contenting
• solacing

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of annoying

Adjective

In The Athletic’s anonymous annual player poll, he has been voted the NFL’s biggest trash talker and most annoying player. — Tim Graham, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2026

The problem is with my stepson’s parents-in-law, both of whom are lovely but annoying. — R. Eric Thomas, Mercury News, 29 July 2026

Verb

But what’s been annoying me even more is that these women should have been trained by producers to start recording on their own cell phones if drama starts to unfold after cameras go down. — Tom Smyth, Vulture, 12 Nov. 2025

A lot of noise around the Chiefs The Chiefs have become a mainstay in NFL discourse by winning three Super Bowls in the Mahomes era, and annoying an endless list of fan bases with their ability to overcome the odds and rally for a late win at an unprecedented rate. — Scott Chasen, Kansas City Star, 21 Sep. 2025