annoy

[uh-noi]

verb (used with object)

1. to disturb or bother (a person) in a way that displeases, troubles, or slightly irritates.

   Synonyms: pester, harass
   Antonyms: soothe, calm, comfort

2. to molest; harm.

verb (used without object)

1. to be bothersome or troublesome.

noun

1. Archaic.,  an annoyance.

annoy

/ əˈnɔɪ /

verb

1. to irritate or displease

2. to harass with repeated attacks

Other Word Forms

• annoyer noun
• half-annoyed adjective
• unannoyed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of annoy¹

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. ) )

Word History and Origins

Origin of annoy¹

C13: from Old French anoier, from Late Latin inodiāre to make hateful, from Latin in odiō ( esse ) (to be) hated, from odium hatred

Synonym Study

See bother, worry.

Example Sentences

"At this stage, it's just to annoy us, it's part of the Russians' displays of hostility. They're trying to humiliate us," said a French security source, requesting not to be named.

Read more on Barron's

The more annoying the Panthers are, the more likely their opponents are to get distracted.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Save the distracting, disjointed and annoying noise for between innings—or better yet, after the game.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Scientists had no way to explain it, a mystery that was “super annoying,” Goldfinger said.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

"I was annoyed, because there's other businesses along the front that have their own colours and I didn't know why it was mine that was being targeted out of the whole street," she said.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• agitate 
• bore 
• bother 
• displease 
• disturb 
• exasperate 
• fire up 
• gall 
• irk 
• peeve 
• perturb 
• rile 
• trouble 
• turn off 
• vex 
• worry 

When To Use

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!