Choose the Right Synonym for annoy

annoy, vex, irk, bother mean to upset a person's composure. annoy implies a wearing on the nerves by persistent petty unpleasantness. their constant complaining annoys us vex implies greater provocation and stronger disturbance and usually connotes anger but sometimes perplexity or anxiety. vexed by her son's failure to clean his room irk stresses difficulty in enduring and the resulting weariness or impatience of spirit. careless waste irks the boss bother suggests interference with comfort or peace of mind. don't bother me while I'm reading

synonyms see in addition worry

Examples of annoy in a Sentence

deliberately annoyed the elderly neighbor by walking across his lawn

Recent Examples on the Web For years, government and industry officials have known that a small group of relatively obscure telecom providers act as a conduit for millions of scam calls that annoy—and sometimes defraud—Americans. — Ryan Tracy, WSJ, 19 May 2022 Or Musk could just be aiming to make money off of his existing Twitter shares, or simply trying to annoy those users who vowed to quit Twitter entirely if Musk started calling the shots. — Marina Koren, The Atlantic, 14 Apr. 2022 In this case, the Supreme Court is cynically trying to put Biden into a political bind by forcing him into actions that will annoy the Democratic base and start a quarrel with Mexico. — Ryan Cooper, The Week, 26 Aug. 2021 To annoy everyone behind you by meandering down the sidewalk while checking your phone. — Washington Post, 28 Apr. 2022 But the good doctor isn't repeating this advice just to annoy you. — Sonya Collins, Fortune, 27 Apr. 2022 And there are new ways for users to misbehave or annoy others on Discord, like spamming loud and inappropriate audio. — Brianna Dym, The Conversation, 15 Mar. 2022 His intent was to annoy and harass until his demands were met, charging documents state. — Scott D. Pierce, The Salt Lake Tribune, 30 Mar. 2022 Which explains a lot about why teenagers who twirl their hair or squirm in their seats at the movies annoy the rest of us. — Alison Escalante, Forbes, 14 Sep. 2021 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'annoy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries Near annoy

anno urbis conditae

annoy

annoyance

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Last Updated

2 Jul 2022

Cite this Entry

“Annoy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/annoy. Accessed 3 Jul. 2022.

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Choose the Right Synonym for annoy

annoy, pester, and tease mean to disturb and upset a person. annoy is used for bothering someone to the point of anger. I am annoyed by your bad behavior. pester is used for bothering someone over and over. Stop pestering me for more money. tease often is used for continually tormenting someone until that person is provoked or upset. They teased the child to the point of tears.