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
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Recent Examples of irk
Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 7 Oct. 2025
Frustrated hikers and out-of-state visitors Many visitors to national parks in the Washington, DC, region on Friday were just irked with the lack of services and poor communication.
—Brian Todd, CNN Money, 4 Oct. 2025
Zack Meisel, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for irk
Verb
The silver-screen version of the provenance of the wedding dress could potentially irk a few too.
—Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 7 Oct. 2025
Frustrated hikers and out-of-state visitors Many visitors to national parks in the Washington, DC, region on Friday were just irked with the lack of services and poor communication.
—Brian Todd, CNN Money, 4 Oct. 2025
Noun
New reaction: Whoa, which baseball deity did this guy irk?
—Zack Meisel, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for irk
Recent Examples of Synonyms for irk
Verb
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Ball doesn’t seem annoyed by the memes yet, but the NBA season hasn’t officially started, so there’s still time.—
Scottie Andrew,
CNN Money,
18 Oct. 2025
-
He was annoyed when people advocated that.—
Marni Rose McFall,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Regardless of the scheduling headache, there's still no indication the funding bill would pass, unless Republicans and Democrats can strike a deal on health care.—
Zac Anderson,
USA Today,
22 Oct. 2025
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In the year before his death, Thomas had been struggling with his mental health, as well as daily headaches and memory loss, his parents said at the time.—
Natasha Dye,
PEOPLE,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Combining three different actives (AHAs, BHAs, and PHAs) in one product without totally irritating the skin seems like an impossible task, yet Some by Mi has accomplished it with this ease.—
Conçetta Ciarlo,
Vogue,
8 Oct. 2025
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Always dilute apple cider vinegar with water and drink through a straw to avoid damaging tooth enamel and irritating the esophagus.—
Maggie O'Neill,
Verywell Health,
2 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Lorincz, who is white, hated loud noise, and called police and first responders multiple times over the years claiming the children were trespassing, bothersome, threatening, and a nuisance.—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
17 Oct. 2025
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Establishing a track record of violations could potentially help the city in future civil suits brought against the Eco Motel, or any other property considered a nuisance.—
Matthew Adams,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Not the kind of thrift store that’s actually thrifty, but the kind of thrift store that doesn’t have any price tags because the people who can afford to shop there don’t need to bother themselves with price tags.—
Lex Goldstein,
PEOPLE,
23 Oct. 2025
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Being a double Viking with Swedish and Norman blood on each side of my family, the cold never bothered me.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Often a thorn in the side of leadership, Massie is unlikely to strike any deal with leadership to avoid a vote on releasing the Epstein files.—
Rachel Schilke,
The Washington Examiner,
11 Oct. 2025
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Buds will fail to open properly, and some of the canes will have multitudes of thorns.—
Neil Sperry,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Chinch bugs overwinter in moist, deep thatch.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
17 Oct. 2025
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Co-worker bugging you during heads down time?—
Sam Woodward,
USA Today,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The frustration that had been simmering throughout a dreadful collective display reached combustion levels.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
23 Oct. 2025
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In fact, the American captain has no hope of putting his frustration behind him anytime soon.—
Julio Cesar Valdera Morales,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Irk.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/irk. Accessed 26 Oct. 2025.
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