irk

[urk]

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verb (used with object)

to irritate, annoy, or exasperate: It irked him to wait in line.

Origin of irk

1300–50; Middle English irken to grow tired, tire < Old Norse yrkja to work, cognate with Old English wyrcan; see work

Synonyms for irk

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR irk ON THESAURUS.COM

chafe, fret, bother; tire.

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

Related Words for irk

annoy, disturb, peeve, bother, inconvenience, irritate, rile, vex, gall, provoke, ruffle, miff, bug, nettle, harass, incommode, abrade, rasp, discommode, trouble

Examples from the Web for irk

Contemporary Examples of irk

But sometimes he veers into territory that could irk staunch patriots.
Ron Paul Book’s Juiciest Red Meat
David A. Graham
July 2, 2011

Historical Examples of irk

I asked Strickland if it did not irk him to live in that promiscuity.
The Moon and Sixpence
W. Somerset Maugham
More to her spouse she is dear and less she's irk to her parents.
The Carmina of Caius Valerius Catullus
Caius Valerius Catullus
He was the founder and teacher of the body of legists known as 'the jurists of Irk.'
The Faith of Islam
Edward Sell
The firmament possesses but one sun, and the land of Irk but one king.
The Adventures of Hajji Baba of Ispahan
James Morier
But my disguise begins to irk me: who will lend me a good suit?
The Plays of W. E. Henley and R. L. Stevenson
Robert Louis Stevenson

British Dictionary definitions for irk

irk

verb

(tr) to irritate, vex, or annoy

Word Origin for irk

C13 irken to grow weary; probably related to Old Norse yrkja to work

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 irk

mid-15c., irken "be weary of, be disgusted with;" earlier intransitive, "to feel weary" (early 14c.). Of uncertain origin, perhaps related to Old Norse yrkja "work" (from PIE root *werg- "to work;" see urge (v.)), or Middle High German erken "to disgust." Modern sense of "annoy" is from late 15c. An adjective, irk "weary, tired" is attested from c.1300 in northern and midlands writing.