annoying
OTHER WORDS FROM annoying
Words nearby annoying
MORE ABOUT ANNOYING
What does annoying mean?
Annoying is an adjective thatâs used to describe someone or something that annoys youâbothers or irritates you.
The word implies that the resulting irritation does not rise to the level of serious harm or a major problemâeven if someone or something is extremely annoying.
People who are annoying are usually engaging in some kind of irritating and unwanted behavior (especially when itâs repeated), such as chewing too loudly or asking you the same question over and over again. Things that are annoying are often those that distract, interrupt, or intrude on what youâre trying to do, like a noise that keeps waking you up when youâre trying to fall asleep or a pop-up ad.
Someone or something thatâs annoying can be called an annoyance. The adjective annoyed is used to describe someone who is bothered in this way.
Example: Mom, Jeff is being so annoying! He keeps humming!
Where does annoying come from?
The first records of the word annoying as an adjective come from the 1300s. Its base word, annoy, comes from the Old French anoier, meaning âto tireâ or âto harm.â This term derived from the Late Latin verb inodiÄre, which means âto cause aversionâ and itself comes from the Latin phrase mihi in odiĹ est, meaning âI dislike.â
People and things that are annoying are doing something that you dislikeâsomething that bothers you. Still, itâs usually something minor and not truly harmful. Annoying has a lot of synonyms that can be used in all kinds of annoying situations, including irritating, bothersome, aggravating, vexatious, irksome, exasperating.
Did you know ... ?
What are some other forms related to annoying?
- annoy (verb)
What are some synonyms for annoying?
What are some words that share a root or word element with annoying?Â
What are some words that often get used in discussing annoying?
How is annoying used in real life?
Annoying is a very common word that can be used in all kinds of contexts. Itâs always used negatively.
The most annoying part about moving is changing your address on EVERYTHING. So annoying đ¤Śđ˝ââď¸
— Ashley (@Aharmony_92) June 23, 2020
flickering lights are very annoying
— Ballerina Queen (@Ballerina0102) November 9, 2020
Overthinking absolutely everything is what I find most annoying about myself. How do you turn off your thoughts?
— Resident Weirdo (@jaleesha_b) September 30, 2020
Try using annoying!
Which of the following words is a synonym of annoying?
A. bothersome
B. irksome
C. aggravating
D. all of the above
MORE ABOUT ANNOYING
Where does annoying come from?
When something is annoying, it is irritating, bothersome, vexing, exasperating, or any of the many other English words describing things that cause annoyance. But would you call that same thing odious, that is, âhatefulâ or âdisgustingâ? Calling something that is merely annoying odious might be a little extreme, but etymologically speaking, itâs no stretch.
The adjective annoying, recorded in English around 1325â75, is based on the even older verb annoy. (See our entry at -ing for the nitty-gritty on that word element.) Annoy entered English around 1250â1300, borrowed from the French anoier, among other forms, and meaning âto molest, harm, tire.â This French verb is derived from the Late Latin inodiÄre, âto cause aversion.â
The Latin verb inodiÄre developed from the expression mihi in odiĹ est, meaning âI dislike.â A literal translation of this expression is âit is in hatred to me,â with in odiĹ meaning âin hatred.â OdiĹ is a form of odium, a word directly borrowed into English and meaning âdislike, aversion, hatred,â among other senses. An adjective form of odium in Latin was odiĹsus, source of the English odious. And thatâs how annoying is connected to odious.
Dig deeper
Another word related to annoying is noisome. Noisome is a tricky word because it looks similar to noisy, but the two do not share a common origin. Noisome means âoffensive or disgusting, as an odorâ or âharmful or injurious to health; noxious.â
Found in English around 1350â1400, noisome is based on the Middle English noy, a variant of annoy. The second part of the word, –some, was once a very productive English suffix used to form adjectives, as in one of the synonyms for annoying we noted above: bothersome. Can you think of other words that feature the suffix –some?
Did you know ... ?
Have ever been so bored that it downright annoyed you? You may have experienced ennui. While feeling ennui is no fun, ennui is a great wordâand, as we trust you already know, learning new words is a great way to cure ennui.
Ennui means âa feeling of utter weariness and discontent resulting from satiety or lack of interestââor more generally, âboredom.â Ennui was borrowed directly into English from French, in turn from the same Latin roots as annoy.