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
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Recent Examples of irritating
Lauren Taylor, Southern Living, 31 Mar. 2026
In both Dream Scenario and The Drama, Borgli sides with the maligned, framing those who cast judgment as shrewish and needling (exemplified in The Drama with a deliciously irritating performance from Alana Haim).
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 31 Mar. 2026
Christopher Smith, Oc Register, 13 May 2026
Scented and bleached toilet paper can have irritating chemicals, while wiping the wrong way can increase your risk of infection.
—Pamela Assid Woughter, Verywell Health, 11 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for irritating
Adjective
The hypoallergenic face serum is free from potentially irritating ingredients, such as parabens and synthetic fragrances, too.
—Lauren Taylor, Southern Living, 31 Mar. 2026
In both Dream Scenario and The Drama, Borgli sides with the maligned, framing those who cast judgment as shrewish and needling (exemplified in The Drama with a deliciously irritating performance from Alana Haim).
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 31 Mar. 2026
Verb
Unproductively, in the confines of the smaller-scale Fyda-Mar stage, the discordant sensory barrage director Oanh Nguyen brings to bear landed on at least one theatergoer as an agitated, irritating distraction.
—Christopher Smith, Oc Register, 13 May 2026
Scented and bleached toilet paper can have irritating chemicals, while wiping the wrong way can increase your risk of infection.
—Pamela Assid Woughter, Verywell Health, 11 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for irritating
Recent Examples of Synonyms for irritating
Adjective
-
Sixty-three percent of Glamour readers polled think lurking is annoying and also kind of creepy.—
Sam Reed,
Glamour,
18 May 2026
-
For instance, many partners have small gripes or annoyances with habits that are annoying at worst, but far from an outright red flag — like a partner that chews somewhat loudly, leaves cabinet doors open or hums constantly while working.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2026
Adjective
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The scheme has been so successful, law enforcement has created a joint FBI-National Security Division task force to disrupt the operations and have dealt a series of harsh prison terms to American accomplices who have willingly aided the North Koreans.—
Amanda Gerut,
Fortune,
14 May 2026
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To fully embody her OnlyFans persona, an earthside alien named The Hungry Ghost, who offers mild nudity and harsh criticism of her willing subscribers’ genitalia.—
Alli Rosenbloom,
CNN Money,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
Tell him that his approach to the trip is bothering you.—
Harriette Cole,
Mercury News,
14 May 2026
-
Try taking 10 to 15 minutes each day to write out what's bothering you.—
Pien Huang,
NPR,
2 May 2026
Verb
-
Spark will monitor and organize Gmail, complete complex tasks, and manage workflows across apps – and that’s just scratching the surface.—
Gene Marks,
Forbes.com,
24 May 2026
-
After weeks of scratching and clawing just to get a handful of runs across the plate, the Red Sox burst out of the gate Friday with one of their most productive offensive innings in ages.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
23 May 2026
Adjective
-
Employing a fictional slasher movie of yesteryear as the portal into a conversation about self and desire, this is heady, strange stuff, frustrating at times but captivating in both its confusion and its honesty.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
22 May 2026
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Witt is pacing toward a historic, never-seen-it-before season — for all the right individual reasons, but for all the frustrating organizational reasons.—
Sam McDowell
Updated May 22,
Kansas City Star,
22 May 2026
Adjective
-
The pitching staff has been jostled, with a rough outing by lefty reliever Aaron Bummer on Monday necessitating his release on Tuesday.—
Ken Sugiura,
AJC.com,
20 May 2026
-
Government bonds in Australia and New Zealand are having a rough May.—
William Pesek,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2026
Verb
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Although pest control companies offer lethal solutions such as carpenter bee traps or chemical treatments, the best way to keep carpenter bees from bugging you is using stained, sealed, varnished or treated wood in building projects.—
Sarah Linn
April 24,
Sacbee.com,
24 Apr. 2026
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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
Verb
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Denis immediately accelerates to get away, scraping Garcia’s car in the process.—
Ella Moore,
Miami Herald,
19 May 2026
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Plus, the tilt-head design provides easy access to the bowl, perfect for making ingredient additions, scraping, and adjustments.—
Michele Laufik,
Martha Stewart,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Irritating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/irritating. Accessed 25 May. 2026.
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