1
as in annoying
causing annoyance
his particularly irritating habit of leaving his dirty clothes on the floor
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in bothering
to disturb the peace of mind of (someone) especially by repeated disagreeable acts
constant chatter irritated the student, who was trying to concentrate on a hard assignment
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of irritating
Gabriela Izquierdo, Southern Living, 27 Feb. 2026
The power plant doesn’t just sound irritating, nearby homeowners say.
—Bracey Harris, NBC news, 26 Feb. 2026
Conçetta Ciarlo, Vogue, 29 Mar. 2026
The choice to portray her as irritating, self-absorbed, whiny and inappropriate was no accident.
—Leigh Blickley, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for irritating
Adjective
The gentle cream is designed for daily use and is fragrance-free and non-irritating.
—Gabriela Izquierdo, Southern Living, 27 Feb. 2026
The power plant doesn’t just sound irritating, nearby homeowners say.
—Bracey Harris, NBC news, 26 Feb. 2026
Verb
That said, while the price point is hard to beat, BHAs are higher in molecular weight, which can be irritating for those with especially sensitive skin.
—Conçetta Ciarlo, Vogue, 29 Mar. 2026
The choice to portray her as irritating, self-absorbed, whiny and inappropriate was no accident.
—Leigh Blickley, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for irritating
Recent Examples of Synonyms for irritating
Adjective
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Go to Paris and be with your annoying bohemian friends!—
Alice Burton,
Vulture,
20 Apr. 2026
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And every family has that annoying uncle that makes horrible jokes or one situation after another.—
Lexi Lane,
PEOPLE,
18 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The idea is to use places, such as Antarctica and space, as real-world testbeds where technologies can be proven under genuinely harsh conditions, like extreme cold, isolation, limited logistics, and high system reliability requirements.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
23 Apr. 2026
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And scientists that have been working on the data have been able to pinpoint that maybe that was the cause of a very harsh winter over Europe that happened in 2010.—
Dana Taylor,
USA Today,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Sit there like nothing is bothering you.—
Chris Spargo,
PEOPLE,
17 Apr. 2026
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But that doesn’t excuse failing to execute on the ABCs of lobbying — such as not bothering even to show up at a hearing on a policy the mayor considers an urgent priority.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Pine-Sol removes that grime without scratching the appliances.—
Mary Cornetta,
Better Homes & Gardens,
17 Apr. 2026
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Pulido told the crowd, before scratching his signature onto the brim and handing it to Jimena, who pumped it in the air and shrieked with joy.—
Jesús Rodríguez,
New Yorker,
17 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Five baserunners and two homers later, the Tigers had a 5-1 lead en route to another frustrating start for Crochet in what’s been a season-long trend for the rotation.—
Jen McCaffrey,
New York Times,
20 Apr. 2026
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Though Sunday did mark some level of improvement after last Monday’s catastrophe, Crochet acknowledged that this outing was even more frustrating.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
19 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Spring is typically prime time for the housing market, but this year’s season is off to a rough start.—
Alexandra Banner,
CNN Money,
22 Apr. 2026
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The star also gets a rough ride from many of the elementary school interviewees that allows the unlikely gardening enthusiast to embrace his more familiar manchild.—
Jon O'Brien,
IndieWire,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
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So, all the things people were yelling about with Southwest weren’t bugging me.—
Lisa Gutierrez,
Kansas City Star,
21 Mar. 2026
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But so much of my journalism has been about something that’s bugging me.—
Jack Denton,
Vulture,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In photo after photo, video after video, North Shore residents are painted in mud, scraping it off driveways, sweeping it out of kitchens and heaving it into trucks along with their household debris.—
Thomas Heaton,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2026
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Process for 1 to 2 minutes, scraping down the sides as needed, until the mixture is smooth and sticky.—
Laura Mclively,
Mercury News,
10 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Irritating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/irritating. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
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