irk

[ urk ]

/ ɜrk /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR irk ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

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

Nearby words

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

chafe, fret, bother; tire.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR irk ON THESAURUS.COM

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

Examples from the Web for 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|DAILY BEAST
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
More to her spouse she is dear and less she's irk to her parents.
The Carmina of Caius Valerius Catullus|Caius Valerius Catullus

When he had apparently made all ready, he stooped down again and smoothed out a ruck, lest its discomfort should irk the dead.
Murder Point|Coningsby Dawson
It did not irk nor worry him now to sweat and strain for hours on end.
Burned Bridges|Bertrand W. Sinclair

British Dictionary definitions for irk

irk

/ (ɜːk) /

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

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.

irk