annoying

adjective

an·​noy·​ing ə-ˈnȯi-iŋ How to pronounce annoying (audio)
: causing vexation or irritation : causing annoyance : irritating
an annoying habit
annoying questions
annoyingly adverb

Examples of annoying in a Sentence

my partner has the annoying habit of eating all the pickles and leaving a jar full of pickle juice in the refrigerator
Recent Examples on the Web There’s something to the shock of killing a story’s darlings, but the film doesn’t offer much in the way of internal world-building (do the machines really want to take over because humans are just…annoying?) or its central love story to make up for the holes left by these disappearances. Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Mar. 2024 Then one day Thomas Wolfe actually came back and ate the boy, because the boy was an annoying husband. John Hodgman, New York Times, 8 Mar. 2024 Having to do that again would be 1) annoying and 2) detrimental to public trust. Melvin Backman, Quartz, 7 Mar. 2024 So that's a bit annoying and certainly restricts my movement a lot. Terry Gross, NPR, 5 Mar. 2024 The survey asked respondents about fan behaviors that annoy them while watching the tournament, such as annoying chants, heckling too much, drinking too much and starting fights. Evan Moore, Charlotte Observer, 29 Feb. 2024 That’s not the only fix for something annoying in the patch, however. Paul Tassi, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024 Sure, a chipped or sharp nail can be annoying, and these can ease that frustration in one swift clip. Kristy Alpert, Travel + Leisure, 23 Feb. 2024 These insects can be terribly annoying but they're not known to spread disease, according to the CDC, even after feeding on multiple hosts. John Tufts, The Courier-Journal, 23 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'annoying.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

see annoy

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of annoying was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near annoying

Cite this Entry

“Annoying.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/annoying. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

annoying

adjective
an·​noy·​ing ə-ˈnȯi-iŋ How to pronounce annoying (audio)
: causing annoyance
an annoying habit
annoyingly adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on annoying

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!