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
Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 24 Feb. 2026
The media company’s positioning has already irked some of its existing stars.
—Max Tani, semafor.com, 23 Feb. 2026
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
Ukraine’s manpower shortages irk her, as does the criticism of strongarm recruitment efforts.
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 24 Feb. 2026
The media company’s positioning has already irked some of its existing stars.
—Max Tani, semafor.com, 23 Feb. 2026
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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Easily annoyed, the driver keeps giving punches to the center of the steering wheel.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 Mar. 2026
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The White House could also insist that while Tkachuk was annoyed, he wasn’t harmed in a way the law ought to remedy.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
9 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Finn was experiencing headaches and nausea, which led to an emergency room visit and a sudden diagnosis.—
Jori Parys,
CBS News,
8 Mar. 2026
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Symptoms can include fever, headache, facial swelling, malaise and swelling of the salivary glands.—
Caelyn Pender,
Mercury News,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Up until the past decade or so, food critics seldom bothered to write about casual cafes such as Zip's, instead focusing on the newest shiny-object restaurants in town.—
Keith Pandolfi,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
6 Mar. 2026
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None of that seems to have bothered Trump.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
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For long, chip designers have viewed moving ions as a nuisance.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Mar. 2026
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The lawsuit asks the Ingham County Circuit Court to declare Kalshi's internet sports betting operation a common law nuisance and to issue a permanent injunction and order of abatement enjoining and restraining Kalshi from engaging in or advertising its internet sports betting operation in Michigan.—
Jalen Williams,
Freep.com,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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This constant, unchanging, repetitive loading of a treadmill can irritate tissue and lead to knee issues, Holland says.—
Danielle Zickl,
Outside,
8 Mar. 2026
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To their sorrow, some people use its broad leaves as dunny paper — bad idea, as the leaves have fine hair that can irritate sensitive skin.—
Carl R. Gold,
Baltimore Sun,
7 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Burchett, along with Mace, Luna, and other conservative Republicans, is frequently a thorn in the side of congressional leadership and sees the panel as a platform for their legislative priorities.—
David Sivak,
The Washington Examiner,
26 Feb. 2026
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So that was the rose, here's the thorn.—
Ed Masley,
AZCentral.com,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
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And also, Bill has to be home and also not bugging me.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
3 Mar. 2026
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Clara could hear Dune’s sister, Fern, in the background bugging Dune to resume their chess game.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
2 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Some employees publicly expressed their frustrations.—
Hadas Gold,
CNN Money,
4 Mar. 2026
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Showing up at the gate unaware of what Basic Economy does and doesn’t include can lead to surprise fees and frustration.—
Lauren Schuster,
Kansas City Star,
3 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Irk.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/irk. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
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