DictionaryAI

annoy

uh-NOY/əˈnɔɪ/

Formsannoys, annoying, annoyed

5 meanings of annoy

Practice

  1. 1
    verbtransitive
    To bother someone over and over until they feel upset or angry.

    Like a fly that keeps buzzing around your head and won't go away.

    My little brother likes to annoy me when I'm trying to read.

    Loud music from next door annoys me every single night.

    Similarbother, irritate

    Oppositeplease

    Note
  2. 2
    verbintransitive
    To act in a way that upsets or troubles other people.

    Like a squeaky door that bothers everyone but never seems to stop.

    Kids sometimes annoy just to get attention.

    His loud chewing really annoys.

    Similarirritate, grate, rankle, jar

    Oppositeplease, soothe

  3. 3
    verbarchaictransitive
    To cause harm or injury to a person or thing.

    Raiders crossed the river to annoy the farms and burn the crops.

    Say, what can more our tortured souls annoy / Than to behold, admire, and lose our joy?
    1691, Matthew Prior, Pastoral to Dr. TurnerHere, annoy means to hurt or harm.

    Similarharm, hurt, injure, wound, damage

    Note

Less common meanings

  1. 4
    nounarchaic
    A feeling of being upset or bothered by something you do not like.

    Like the heavy, tired feeling you get when something keeps bothering you.

    A deep annoy settled over her as the guests overstayed their welcome.

    [I]f she says he was defeated, why he had better, a great deal, have been defeated, than give her a moment's annoy.
    1870, Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Success”Here, annoy means a feeling of being bothered or upset.
    Note
  2. 5
    nounarchaic
    A thing that makes someone feel upset or bothered.

    Like a small stone in your shoe that bothers you with every step.

    The constant dripping was an annoy she could no longer ignore.

    His chatter became a real annoy to everyone at the table.

    Note

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Origins

Meanings 1–3

It came through Old French from a Late Latin word meaning "to make hateful," based on Latin odium, meaning "hatred."

Meanings 4–5

It came through Old French from a word that is also the source of "ennui."