annoying

[uh-noi-ing]

adjective

1. causing annoyance; irritatingly bothersome.

   annoying delays.

Other Word Forms

• annoyingly adverb
• annoyingness noun
• half-annoying adjective
• half-annoyingly adverb
• unannoying adjective
• unannoyingly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of annoying¹

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English; annoy + -ing ²

Example Sentences

While the loss is annoying, it is relatively small compared with Nvidia’s overall business.

Read more on Barron's

"I just wanted to complete my a levels, it was going so well. A lot of other people have been let down. It's very annoying."

Read more on BBC

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

Related Words

• aggravating 
• bothersome 
• disturbing 
• irritating 
• troublesome 

When To Use

What does annoying mean?

Annoying is an adjective that’s used to describe someone or something that annoys you—bothers or irritates you.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 is extremely annoying.People who are annoying are usually engaging in 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 are annoying 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 or something that’s 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!