irked 1 of 2

irked

2 of 2

verb

past tense of irk

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of irked
Verb
The move irked Republicans in Congress who, in July, moved to ban restoring any Confederate names in this year's defense authorization bill. Arkansas Online, 6 Sep. 2025 The escalation has irked Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who warned on Thursday that his country could not be invaded. Nick Mordowanec john Feng, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Aug. 2025 For his part, over in Coventry, Wright was irked at being substituted after 79 minutes and not getting the chance to grab a hat-trick. Greg O'Keeffe, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2025 On the back of the continual tumult in American cricket, the low number of six teams per gender and qualification process has irked many cricket nations. Tristan Lavalette, Forbes.com, 25 Aug. 2025 Apple iPhone 14 buyers were irked at the change, which can complicate connectivity. PC Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025 Recognizing a Palestinian state is a concession that may appease progressives irked by Carney’s other moves toward the political center. David Frum, The Atlantic, 14 Aug. 2025 The bill irked various GOP factions, from deficit hawks to economic populists. Eric Cortellessa, Time, 7 Aug. 2025 Bednarek, apparently irked by the sideways glance, responded by pushing Lyles in the back. Coy Wire, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for irked
Adjective
  • God, annoyed, confuses their languages and disperses them, ending the construction.
    John Fugelsang September 12, Literary Hub, 12 Sep. 2025
  • The downside is that Dylan was likely feeling very annoyed the whole time.
    Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 8 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Think flying in spring water to a Caribbean island because a female client thought the local water irritated her scalp.
    Louis J. Esterhazy, Footwear News, 7 Sep. 2025
  • In fact, the aliens take a back seat to the human interactions, which irritated some viewers eager to see actual aliens in a show about an extraterrestrial invasion.
    Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 5 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • Despite his status as a pop culture icon for close to 50 years now, ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic has claimed he’s not terribly bothered about being overlooked by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
    Tyler Jenke, Billboard, 14 Aug. 2025
  • When taking a deeper look at what causes Americans to feel bothered about protesters waving Mexican flags, some clear patterns emerge.
    Loren Collingwood, The Conversation, 1 July 2025
Verb
  • Power gains are bugged to be too low for a new power grind that no one wants to do anyway.
    Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
  • His not winning it was considered a failure, and that bugged him.
    Brody Miller, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • During the trials, some participants experienced nausea and an upset stomach, but investigators found that dividing up the pills, instead of taking all four at once, and swallowing them with orange juice instead of water, helped relieve the symptoms.
    Megan McIntyre, Allure, 16 Sep. 2025
  • So don’t be overly upset Yankee fans.
    Tony Blengino, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • More and more, people who have loyally served Putin’s system are being persecuted, mainly on the grounds of corruption.
    ANDREI KOLESNIKOV, Foreign Affairs, 8 Sep. 2025
  • Molero and her husband arrived in the United States in 2003, fleeing after they were persecuted for working alongside opposition leader Juan Pablo Guanipa.
    Antonio Maria Delgado, Miami Herald, 5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Meanwhile, the usually reliable Molly Shannon delivers an inexplicably manic performance of exasperated adult ineptitude as the school principal trying, with a lot of faffing about but very little urgency, to track the kids down.
    Jessica Kiang, Variety, 13 Sep. 2025
  • The boy’s father, an exasperated man at the mercy of an Amazon-like delivery job that docks him for every second he so much as thinks about his son, is the only person who even wants to go through the effort of looking for him.
    David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • But Newsom seems to have found his footing nationally by catering to angry anti-Trump Democrats, his conciliatory remarks in the aftermath of Kirk’s shooting notwithstanding.
    W. James Antle III, The Washington Examiner, 12 Sep. 2025
  • For example, long wait times, high prices and confusing models have left people angry with the car sales industry.
    Brandon Aversano, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Irked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/irked. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.

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