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annoy - 5 dictionary results

an⋅noy

  [uh-noi]
Use annoy in a Sentence
–verb (used with object)
1. to disturb or bother (a person) in a way that displeases, troubles, or slightly irritates.
2. to molest; harm.
–verb (used without object)
3. to be bothersome or troublesome.
–noun
4. Archaic. an annoyance.
Origin:
1250–1300; (v.) ME an(n)oien, enoien < AF, OF anoier, anuier to molest, harm, tire < LL inodiāre to cause aversion, from L phrase mihi in odiō est … I dislike …; cf. in- 2 , odium, ennui, noisome; (n.) ME a(n)noi, ennoi < AF, OF a(n)nui, etc., deriv. of the v.

Related forms:
an⋅noy⋅er, noun

Synonyms:
1. harass, pester. See bother, worry.

Antonyms:
1. comfort, calm, soothe.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To annoy
an·noy   (ə-noi')   
tr.v.   an·noyed, an·noy·ing, an·noys
  1. To cause slight irritation to (another) by troublesome, often repeated acts.
  2. 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; see od- in Indo-European roots.]
Synonyms: 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.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Annoy

An*noy"\ ([a^]n*noi"), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Annoyed ([a^]n*noid"); p. pr. & vb. n. Annoying.] [OE. anoien, anuien, OF. anoier, anuier, F. ennuyer, fr. OF. anoi, anui, enui, annoyance, vexation, F. ennui. See Annoy, n.] To disturb or irritate, especially by continued or repeated acts; to tease; to ruffle in mind; to vex; as, I was annoyed by his remarks.

Say, what can more our tortured souls annoy Than to behold, admire, and lose our joy? --Prior.

2. To molest, incommode, or harm; as, to annoy an army by impeding its march, or by a cannonade.

Syn: To molest; vex; trouble; pester; embarrass; perplex; tease.

Annoy

An*noy"\, n. [OE. anoi, anui, OF. anoi, anui, enui, fr. L. in odio hatred (esse alicui in odio, Cic.). See Ennui, Odium, Noisome, Noy.] A feeling of discomfort or vexation caused by what one dislikes; also, whatever causes such a feeling; as, to work annoy.

Worse than Tantalus' is her annoy. --Shak.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : annoy
Spanish: molestar, importunar,
German: ärgern,
Japanese: うるさがらせる
More Translations »

annoy 
c.1250, from Anglo-Fr. anuier, from O.Fr. enuier "to weary, vex," from L.L. inodiare "make loathsome," from L. (esse) in odio "(it is to me) hateful," abl. of odium "hatred."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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