as in annoyed
subjected to and reacting with irritation
irked drivers were honking and shouting at the cows in the road
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in bothered
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Taylor Seely, AZCentral.com, 10 Feb. 2026
Free-speech civil-society groups on the right and the left were irked by Kuhl’s decision.
—Kaitlyn Tiffany, The Atlantic, 10 Feb. 2026
Emery had been irked, in particular, by a diagonal pass that went out of play for a throw-in.
—James Pearce, New York Times, 3 Feb. 2026
Schools were closed for three days, which further irked Menino.
—Joe Battenfeld, Boston Herald, 29 Jan. 2026
That irked some who thought the city was sacrificing park space for cars.
—Ryan Gillespie, The Orlando Sentinel, 12 Jan. 2026
Illini star Dick Butkus, irked at reports suggesting the Big Ten champs were not in top physical shape, led his team on a postgame sprint around the field to show their fitness.
—Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 1 Jan. 2026
Washington and Taipei earlier this month announced what could become one of the United States’ biggest-ever military sales to the island, and Taiwan’s president is pushing for the approval of a historic special defense budget – developments that have irked Beijing.
—Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 29 Dec. 2025
Karp had never seen it and seemed mildly amused, rather than irked by it.
—Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 19 Dec. 2025
Verb
Members of Neighbors Against Fear and Rush-hour Resistance Rallies who have protested at the ICE field office in Phoenix have irked some of the organizers with Borderlands Resource Initiative and People First Project.
—Taylor Seely, AZCentral.com, 10 Feb. 2026
Free-speech civil-society groups on the right and the left were irked by Kuhl’s decision.
—Kaitlyn Tiffany, The Atlantic, 10 Feb. 2026
Emery had been irked, in particular, by a diagonal pass that went out of play for a throw-in.
—James Pearce, New York Times, 3 Feb. 2026
Schools were closed for three days, which further irked Menino.
—Joe Battenfeld, Boston Herald, 29 Jan. 2026
That irked some who thought the city was sacrificing park space for cars.
—Ryan Gillespie, The Orlando Sentinel, 12 Jan. 2026
Illini star Dick Butkus, irked at reports suggesting the Big Ten champs were not in top physical shape, led his team on a postgame sprint around the field to show their fitness.
—Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 1 Jan. 2026
Washington and Taipei earlier this month announced what could become one of the United States’ biggest-ever military sales to the island, and Taiwan’s president is pushing for the approval of a historic special defense budget – developments that have irked Beijing.
—Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 29 Dec. 2025
Karp had never seen it and seemed mildly amused, rather than irked by it.
—Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 19 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for irked
Adjective
-
One scene shows an annoyed President Obama, trying to have a private conversation with Tutu, whose security detail quickly pushes back the camera team.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
15 Feb. 2026
-
Some, without even asking, just threw up their hands, and, annoyed, picked up their pace and kept walking up Vorovsky Street.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
But in securing gold, Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara from Japan didn’t seem to be bothered by any of that.—
Alice Park,
Time,
17 Feb. 2026
-
The American government never even bothered to tell their family members.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
As the match continued, the sides grew irritated with each other, resulting in Kennedy hurling expletives at the Swedish team in defense of himself and both sides argued across the ice.—
Sean Nevin,
NBC news,
14 Feb. 2026
-
Avoid installation on irritated or broken scalp skin.—
Emily Kay Votruba,
EverydayHealth.com,
12 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Instead, Ladinig says Pierre Haobsh bugged Henry Han's computer with a spyware app called a keylogger.—
Natalie Morales,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Feeling good Weathers has been bugged by several injuries over the last few years.—
Brendan Kuty,
New York Times,
16 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
SpaceX said on its launch page that residents in Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Ventura counties might experience one or more sonic booms during the launch, a phenomenon that has long upset residents and raised concerns about the booms’ effect on nearby endangered species.—
Jaclyn Cosgrove,
Los Angeles Times,
15 Feb. 2026
-
Littler added that his girlfriend would often get upset when her father talked about owning a gun.—
Saul Pink,
San Antonio Express-News,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The result is that, despite existing household pains owing to more expensive fuel, a resurgent kidnapping crisis that exposes deep security vulnerabilities, and external pressure from a US government that claims Christians are persecuted in Nigeria, Tinubu has expanded his base and looks strong.—
Alexander Onukwue,
semafor.com,
16 Feb. 2026
-
Branding peaceful protesters as ‘terrorists,’ and Christians that are persecuted every year as ‘Zionist mercenaries,’ is nothing but scapegoating.—
Benjamin Weinthal,
FOXNews.com,
13 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Chau is perfectly exasperated and defiant.—
Kathleen Newman-Bremang,
Refinery29,
12 Feb. 2026
-
Eventually, my exasperated mom found us and marched us to the big arena, on the other side of Interstate 70, to witness the big show.—
The Know,
Denver Post,
22 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Meanwhile, members of Congress are likely to face some angry, dissatisfied voters — with the year’s first major primary day fast approaching on March 3.—
Marissa Martinez,
NBC news,
13 Feb. 2026
-
But the attempt at humor didn’t satisfy some angry fans who believe Mets President David Stearns swindled Getz in a trade that essentially was a salary dump.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
12 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Irked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/irked. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
