annoy

an·noy

Use annoy in a sentence

verb

The definition of annoy means to irritate or disturb.

An example of annoy is to repeatedly poke someone in the arm.

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"annoy." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 17 April 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/ANNOY>.

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annoy. (n.d.). Retrieved April 17th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/ANNOY

annoy

to irritate, bother, or make somewhat angry, as by a repeated action, noise, etc.
to harm by repeated attacks; harry; molest

Origin of annoy

Middle English anoien from Old French anoier from Vulgar Latin inodiare from in odio habere (or esse), to have (or be) in hate: see odium

to be annoying

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MLA Style

"annoy." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 17 April 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/ANNOY>.

APA Style

annoy. (n.d.). Retrieved April 17th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/ANNOY

annoy

transitive verb

an·noyed, an·noy·ing, an·noys

To cause irritation to (another); make somewhat angry.
Archaic To harass or disturb by repeated attacks.

Origin of annoy

Middle English anoien from Old French anoier, ennuyer from Vulgar Latin inodiāre to make odious from Latin in odiō odious in in ; see in- ². odiō ablative of odium hatred ; see od- in Indo-European roots.

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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MLA Style

"annoy." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 17 April 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/ANNOY>.

APA Style

annoy. (n.d.). Retrieved April 17th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/ANNOY

annoy

annoy irritate bother irk vex provoke aggravate peeve rile

These verbs mean to disturb or trouble a person, evoking moderate anger. Annoy refers to mild disturbance caused by an act that tries one's patience: The sound of the printer annoyed me. Irritate is somewhat stronger: I was irritated by their constant interruptions. Bother implies imposition: In the end, his complaining just bothered the supervisor. Irk connotes a wearisome quality: The city council's inactivity irked the community. Vex applies to an act capable of arousing anger or perplexity: Hecklers in the crowd vexed the speaker. Provoke implies strong and often deliberate incitement to anger: His behavior provoked me to reprimand the whole team. Aggravate is a less formal equivalent: “Threats only served to aggravate people in such cases” (William Makepeace Thackeray). Peeve, also somewhat informal, suggests a querulous, resentful response to a mild disturbance: Your flippant answers peeved me. To rile is to upset and to stir up: It riled me to have to listen to such lies.

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"annoy." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 17 April 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/ANNOY>.

APA Style

annoy. (n.d.). Retrieved April 17th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/ANNOY

Verb

(third-person singular simple present annoys, present participle annoying, simple past and past participle annoyed)

To disturb or irritate, especially by continued or repeated acts; to bother with unpleasant deeds.
Marc loved his sister, but when she annoyed him he wanted to switch her off.
(intransitive) To do something to upset or anger someone; to be troublesome.
Connie liked to annoy her brother by using him as a leg rest.
To molest; to harm; to injure.
to annoy an army by impeding its march, or by a cannonade

Antonyms

please

Related terms

Noun

(plural annoys)

(now rare, literary) A feeling of discomfort or vexation caused by what one dislikes.
(now rare, literary) That which causes such a feeling.

Anagrams

anyon

Origin

From Middle English annoien, anoien, enoien, from Anglo-Norman anuier, Old French enuier (“to molest, harm, tire”), from Late Latin inodiō (“cause aversion, make hateful”, vb.), from the phrase in odiō (“hated”), from Latin odium (“hatred”). Displaced native Middle English grillen (“to annoy, irritate”), from Old English grillan (see grill).