verb
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to irritate or displease
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to harass with repeated attacks
Usage
What does annoy mean? Annoy means to bother or irritate.The word implies that the resulting irritation does not rise to the level of serious harm or a major problem—even if someone or something annoys you very much.People usually annoy through some kind of irritating and unwanted behavior (especially when it’s repeated), such as chewing too loudly or asking you the same question over and over again. Things that annoy are often those that distract, interrupt, or intrude on what you’re trying to do, like a noise that keeps waking you up when you’re trying to fall asleep or a pop-up ad.Someone who is bothered in this way can be described as annoyed. Someone or something that annoys you can be described as annoying. Someone or something that annoys you can be called an annoyance.Less commonly, annoy means to harass. In this case, the results are more serious than the more common meaning of annoy.Example: Mom, Jeff is trying to annoy me again! He keeps humming!
Related Words
Other Word Forms
- annoyer noun
- half-annoyed adjective
- unannoyed adjective
Etymology
Origin of annoy
First recorded in 1250–1300; (for the verb) Middle English an(n)oien, enoien, from Anglo-French, Old French anoier, anuier “to molest, harm, tire,” from Late Latin inodiāre “to cause aversion,” from Latin phrase (mihi) in odiō (est) “I dislike,” literally, “(it is) in hate (to me)”; in- 2, odium; (for the noun) Middle English a(n)noi, ennoi, from Anglo-French, Old French a(n)nui, enui, derivative of the verb ( ennui ( def. ) )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It was annoying more than anything since I didn’t know what they wanted from me.
From Los Angeles Times
He later said it was "getting boring referring to statements I didn't write" and that he was "getting really annoyed about this".
From BBC
The 3-D animator in El Paso, Texas, grew annoyed after his smart fridge started showing banner ads.
"I know a lot of young people who want to raise their families here but can't, and it's left many people very annoyed."
From BBC
George says issues with his bladder have been the "most annoying" as he sometimes has to get up four or five times a night to use the toilet - a problem known as nocturia.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
