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)”; cf. 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 ( cf. ennui ( def. ))
Explanation
The verb annoy means to bother or irritate. Your habit of constantly talking about your cats might annoy your friends more than you realize. When you annoy someone, you really rub them the wrong way. Often, the things that annoy people the most are those that are repeated again and again, like your habit of snorting every time you laugh or the screeching sound that your dishwasher makes day after day. Although the word annoy comes from the Latin phrase esse in odio, "it is hateful to me," its meaning now is less "hateful" and more "bothersome."
Vocabulary lists containing annoy
Beowulf vocabulary
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The Sound and the Fury: Synonyms for "Anger"
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Anger
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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.
The situation appeared to annoy the judge overseeing the case, Arun Subramanian, after he learned that Live Nation and the Justice Department had signed their deal last Thursday.
From BBC • Mar. 9, 2026
They are notorious goons, despised virtually everywhere for their ability to agitate, aggrieve and annoy.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 14, 2026
This will annoy people who think everything important happens in Silicon Valley.
From MarketWatch • Dec. 9, 2025
"I suspect that she does not want to annoy her son."
From Barron's • Nov. 5, 2025
“Irian did say it would startle you up and annoy you down, but he insisteds.”
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
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.
