# annoy

Pronunciation: say "uh-NOY" /əˈnɔɪ/

## Verb

1. To disturb or irritate someone, especially through repeated or continued actions.
   - Simple: To bother someone over and over until they feel upset or angry.
   - _Constant interruptions annoy her more than the workload itself._
   - _He kept tapping his pen to annoy his coworkers during the meeting._
2. To behave in a way that upsets or angers people, or to be a source of trouble.
   - Simple: To act in a way that upsets or troubles other people.
   - _Certain mannerisms annoy no matter how well-meaning the person is._
   - _The constant background hum annoys after only a few minutes._

## Verb

3. To harm, injure, or molest; to inflict damage on a person or thing. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: To cause harm or injury to a person or thing.
   - _The garrison sortied at dawn to annoy the besieging army._
   - _Pirates annoyed merchant vessels throughout the season._

## Noun

4. Irritation or unease felt because of something one finds disagreeable. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: A feeling of being upset or bothered by something you do not like.
   - _A faint annoy crossed his face at the interruption._
   - _She endured the crowd's noise with growing annoy._
5. Something that causes a feeling of vexation or discomfort. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: A thing that makes someone feel upset or bothered.
   - _The flickering lamp was a persistent annoy through the evening._
   - _Every creak of the old house became an annoy to the sleepless traveler._

## Origin

**Meanings 1–3** — From Middle English anoyen, from Old French anoier ("to bother, disturb"), from Late Latin inodiāre ("to make loathsome"), which came from Latin odium ("loathing, hatred").
**Meanings 4–5** — From Middle English anoy, from Old French enui, making it a doublet of ennui.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/annoy (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).