annoying

[uh-noi-ing]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR annoying ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

causing annoyance; irritatingly bothersome: annoying delays.

Origin of annoying

Middle English word dating back to 1325–75; see origin at annoy, -ing²

Related formsan·noy·ing·ly, adverban·noy·ing·ness, nounhalf-an·noy·ing, adjectivehalf-an·noy·ing·ly, adverbun·an·noy·ing, adjectiveun·an·noy·ing·ly, adverb

annoy

[uh-noi]

verb (used with object)

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

to molest; harm.

verb (used without object)

to be bothersome or troublesome.

noun

Archaic. an annoyance.

Origin of annoy

1250–1300; (v.) Middle English an(n)oien, enoien < Anglo-French, Old French anoier, anuier to molest, harm, tire < Late Latin inodiāre to cause aversion, from Latin phrase mihi in odiō est … I dislike …; cf. in-², odium, ennui, noisome; (noun) Middle English a(n)noi, ennoi < Anglo-French, Old French a(n)nui, etc., derivative of the v.

Related formsan·noy·er, nounhalf-an·noyed, adjectiveun·an·noyed, adjective

Can be confusedaggravate annoy irritate

Synonyms for annoy

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR annoy ON THESAURUS.COM

1. harass, pester.

Synonym study

1. See bother, worry.

Antonyms for annoy

1. comfort, calm, soothe.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for annoying

disturbing, troublesome, irritating, bothersome, aggravating, vexatious

Examples from the Web for annoying

Contemporary Examples of annoying

The ACLU and its allies are trying to undermine the holiday with lawsuits and annoying billboards.
Why I’m for the War on Christmas
Asawin Suebsaeng
December 23, 2014
Sanger felt, to the contrary, that it was the nonacademic masses who tended to be annoying.
You Can Look It Up: The Wikipedia Story
Walter Isaacson
October 19, 2014
She is even, it has been deemed, “annoying on Instagram,” that most contemporary of heinous crimes.
Why Does Everyone Hate Lea Michele?
Tim Teeman
October 9, 2014
It was audacious and global in scope, yet annoying for being unavoidable.
U2 Generously Gives Us a Lousy Album, Sucks at the Corporate Teat
Hampton Stevens
September 13, 2014
But yeah, the people who went, “Ugh, how annoying,” probably forgot about it five seconds later.
Anna Kendrick on ‘Pitch Perfect 2,’ Drunken Horror Stories, and Singin’ Pharrell
Marlow Stern
July 24, 2014

Historical Examples of annoying

When he had time to notice it, it amused him that he did not find it annoying.
K
Mary Roberts Rinehart
Isn't it annoying when one can't pick up the thread of a conversation?
The Incomplete Amorist
E. Nesbit
I saw that Clara was bent on annoying her old enemy, and interposed.
Wilfrid Cumbermede
George MacDonald
The kindling of the fire seems to have been for the purpose of annoying the enemy.
Y Gododin
Aneurin
“Sir Peter has great faith in annoying and thwarting me,” she went on.
The First Violin
Jessie Fothergill

British Dictionary definitions for annoying

annoying

adjective

causing irritation or displeasure

Derived Formsannoyingly, adverb

annoy

verb

to irritate or displease

to harass with repeated attacks

Derived Formsannoyer, noun

Word Origin for annoy

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for annoying

annoy

late 13c., from Anglo-French anuier, Old French enoiier, anuier "to weary, vex, anger; be troublesome or irksome to," from Late Latin inodiare "make loathsome," from Latin (esse) in odio "(it is to me) hateful," ablative of odium "hatred" (see odium). Earliest form of the word in English was as a noun, c.1200, "feeling of irritation, displeasure, distaste." Related: Annoyed; annoying; annoyingly. Middle English also had annoyful and annoyous (both late 14c.).