annoy
UK /əˈnɔɪ/ US /əˈnɔɪ/ Syllables: an-noy
Quick answer
To make someone feel slightly angry or impatient, often through repeated behavior.
To annoy someone is to make them feel a little angry, tired or impatient, often by doing something again and again. A buzzing fly, a loud phone call or a friend who is always late can annoy you. The word is milder than anger. You can say it annoys me when people talk during a film. The adjectives are annoyed, which describes the person, and annoying, which describes the thing. Teachers and parents use annoy to explain why a behavior is a problem.
"The constant dripping of the tap annoyed her all night."Example sentences
-
"The loud music annoyed the neighbors."
Level A2
-
"It annoys me when people are late."
Level A2
-
"My little brother likes to annoy me."
Level A1
-
"Don't annoy the dog while it is eating."
Level A2
Synonyms and antonyms
Synonyms
Antonyms
Look-alikes and common mistakes
- anger : Anger is a strong feeling. Annoy describes a small, often repeated cause of irritation.
- bother : Bother is softer and often means to disturb someone. Annoy suggests the person feels cross.
Word family and forms
Forms: annoys, annoyed, annoying
Word partners
Words and phrases that often go with "annoy".
- annoy someone
- it annoys me
- easily annoyed
- annoy the neighbors
- an annoying habit
- mildly annoyed
Origin
Annoy came into English in the 1200s from Old French anoier, which meant to bother or to disturb. The French verb comes from Late Latin inodiare, to make loathsome, which is built on Latin odium, hatred or disgust. So to annoy someone was first to make them dislike something.
Checked against: Wiktionary, the free dictionary, Dictionary.com.
How to remember it
Annoy has the sound of noise in it: an annoying noise is the classic example.
Test yourself
Which word fits the gap? "The loud music _____ the neighbors."
Answer: annoy
In your own words, what does "annoy" mean?
To make someone feel slightly angry or impatient, often through repeated behavior.
Learn next at A1
- annoyed Feeling slightly angry because something has irritated you.
- another One more, or a different one, of the same kind.
- answer A response given to a question, or the solution to a problem.
- ant A small insect that lives in large, organised colonies underground.
- anteater A long-nosed mammal that eats ants and termites using its long, sticky...
- antelope A fast, slender wild animal with horns, related to deer and cattle, fo...
Sources and credits
- Wiktionary, the free dictionary (CC BY-SA 4.0) · used for the origin · checked Oct 19, 2026
- Dictionary.com · used for the origin · checked Oct 19, 2026
Last reviewed October 20, 2026. Report a mistake on this page