annoy
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(ə-noi') 
tr.v., -noyed, -noy·ing, -noys.
tr.v., -noyed, -noy·ing, -noys.
- To cause slight irritation to (another) by troublesome, often repeated acts.
- Archaic. To harass or disturb by repeated attacks.
[Middle English anoien, from Old French anoier, ennuyer, from Vulgar Latin *inodiāre, to make odious, from Latin in odio, odious : in, in; see in-2 + odiō, ablative of odium, hatred.]
SYNONYMS annoy, irritate, bother, irk, vex, provoke, aggravate, peeve, rile. These verbs mean to disturb or trouble a person, evoking moderate anger. Annoy refers to mild disturbance caused by an act that tries one's patience: The sound of the printer annoyed me. Irritate is somewhat stronger: I was irritated by their constant interruptions. Bother implies imposition: In the end, his complaining just bothered the supervisor. Irk connotes a wearisome quality: The city council's inactivity irked the community. Vex applies to an act capable of arousing anger or perplexity: Hecklers in the crowd vexed the speaker. Provoke implies strong and often deliberate incitement to anger: His behavior provoked me to reprimand the whole team. Aggravate is a less formal equivalent: "Threats only served to aggravate people in such cases" (William Makepeace Thackeray). Peeve, also somewhat informal, suggests a querulous, resentful response to a mild disturbance: Your flippant answers peeved me. To rile is to upset and to stir up: It riled me to have to listen to such lies.
Roget's Thesaurus:
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annoy
verb
- To trouble the nerves or peace of mind of, especially by repeated vexations: aggravate, bother, bug, chafe, disturb, exasperate, fret, gall, get, irk, irritate, nettle, peeve, provoke, put out, rile, ruffle, vex. Idioms: get in one's hair, get on one's nerves, get under one's skin. See feelings, pain/pleasure.
- To disturb by repeated attacks: bait, bedevil, beleaguer, beset, harass, harry, pester, plague, tease, torment, worry. See feelings, pain/pleasure.
Antonyms by Answers.com:
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annoy
v
Definition: irritate, upset
Antonyms: aid, gratify, make happy, please, soothe
Word Tutor:
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annoy
IN BRIEF: To bother or disturb.
When a friend is in trouble, don't annoy him by asking if there is anything you can do. Think up something appropriate and do it.
LearnThatWord.com is a free vocabulary and spelling program where you only pay for results!
Sign Language Videos:
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annoy
sign description: One hand with palm facing the body, the other hand repeatedly comes down in the space between the thumb and index finger.
Random House Word Menu:
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categories related to 'annoy'
- Violent Actions - annoy: harass repeatedly in quick attacks
See crossword solutions for the clue Translations:
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Annoy
Dansk (Danish)
v. tr. - ærgre, irritere
v. intr. - ærgres, irriteres
Nederlands (Dutch)
hinderen, ergeren, lastigvallen
Français (French)
v. tr. - agacer, contrarier, déranger, ennuyer, énerver, importuner, veillir (un meuble) (arch)
v. intr. - agacer, contrarier, déranger, ennuyer
Deutsch (German)
v. - belästigen, ärgern
Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - ενοχλώ, παρενοχλώ, συγχύζω, ανησυχώ, πειράζω
Italiano (Italian)
disturbare, infastidire, dar noia, irritare
Português (Portuguese)
v. - aborrecer, incomodar
Русский (Russian)
раздражать, надоедать, беспокоить
Español (Spanish)
v. tr. - incomodar, molestar, importunar, irritar, fastidiar
v. intr. - molestarse, irritarse
Svenska (Swedish)
v. - förarga, reta
中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
使生气, 惹恼, 困扰, 打搅, 使烦恼, 令人讨厌
中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
v. tr. - 使生氣, 惹惱, 困擾, 打攪, 使煩惱
v. intr. - 令人討厭
한국어 (Korean)
v. tr. - 을 짜증나게 하다, 에게 손해를 주다
v. intr. - 괴롭히다
日本語 (Japanese)
v. - いらいらさせる, 悩ます
العربيه (Arabic)
(فعل) يزعج, يضايق, يغضب
עברית (Hebrew)
v. tr. - הטריד, הציק
v. intr. - הטריד, הציק
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