ANNOY Synonyms: 100 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the verb 'annoy' contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of annoy are harass , harry , pester , plague , tease , and worry . While all these words mean "to disturb or irritate by persistent acts," annoy implies disturbing one's composure or peace of mind by intrusion, interference, or petty attacks. // you're doing that just to annoy me

Q: When could 'harass' be used to replace 'annoy'?

The synonyms harass and annoy are sometimes interchangeable, but harass implies petty persecutions or burdensome demands that exhaust one's nervous or mental power. // harassed on all sides by creditors

Q: Where would 'harry' be a reasonable alternative to 'annoy'?

The words harry and annoy are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, harry may imply heavy oppression or maltreatment. // the strikers had been harried by thugs

Q: When might 'pester' be a better fit than 'annoy'?

While in some cases nearly identical to annoy , pester stresses the repetition of petty attacks. // constantly pestered with trivial complaints

Q: In what contexts can 'plague' take the place of 'annoy'?

While the synonyms plague and annoy are close in meaning, plague implies a painful and persistent affliction. // plagued all her life by poverty

Q: When is 'tease' a more appropriate choice than 'annoy'?

Although the words tease and annoy have much in common, tease suggests an attempt to break down one's resistance or rouse to wrath. // children teased the dog

Q: When can 'worry' be used instead of 'annoy'?

The meanings of worry and annoy largely overlap; however, worry implies an incessant goading or attacking that drives one to desperation. // pursued a policy of worrying the enemy

annoy

verb

ə-ˈnȯi

Definition of annoy

as in to irritate

to disturb the peace of mind of (someone) especially by repeated disagreeable acts deliberately annoyed the elderly neighbor by walking across his lawn

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How does the verb annoy contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of annoy are harass, harry, pester, plague, tease, and worry. While all these words mean "to disturb or irritate by persistent acts," annoy implies disturbing one's composure or peace of mind by intrusion, interference, or petty attacks.

you're doing that just to annoy me

When could harass be used to replace annoy?

The synonyms harass and annoy are sometimes interchangeable, but harass implies petty persecutions or burdensome demands that exhaust one's nervous or mental power.

harassed on all sides by creditors

Where would harry be a reasonable alternative to annoy?

The words harry and annoy are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, harry may imply heavy oppression or maltreatment.

the strikers had been harried by thugs

When might pester be a better fit than annoy?

While in some cases nearly identical to annoy, pester stresses the repetition of petty attacks.

constantly pestered with trivial complaints

In what contexts can plague take the place of annoy?

While the synonyms plague and annoy are close in meaning, plague implies a painful and persistent affliction.

plagued all her life by poverty

When is tease a more appropriate choice than annoy?

Although the words tease and annoy have much in common, tease suggests an attempt to break down one's resistance or rouse to wrath.

children teased the dog

When can worry be used instead of annoy?

The meanings of worry and annoy largely overlap; however, worry implies an incessant goading or attacking that drives one to desperation.

pursued a policy of worrying the enemy

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of annoy That unexpected fandom has grown over the past two years, with unlikely converts taking to the internet’s alleyways to spread the good word—and, in the process, annoying the doubters. — Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 21 Oct. 2026 Returning the sarcasm tends to cause the same problem, with two people annoyed instead of one. — Angela Haupt, Time, 14 Oct. 2026 And now Snider found himself here, under a bright, blue sky, annoyed as a fireman examined the staples on the side of his head. — Geoff Edgers, Washington Post, 11 Oct. 2026 The Broncos left annoyed because of a growing issue with their offense in general and the quarterback specifically. — Troy Renck, Denver Post, 4 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for annoy

Recent Examples of Synonyms for annoy

Verb

These extra vessels increase inflammation and irritate surrounding nerves, making daily movement painful.

— Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2026
The key is knowing what’s likely to irritate your skin during a flare and what may spark an issue day-to-day even when your skin is clear.

— Kara McGrath, Allure, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of irritate

Verb

The mathematics and computer science graduate, who spent two years in the Peace Corps, launched Netflix by mailing DVDs in red envelopes to customers bothered by Blockbuster Video chain’s practices and late fees.

— Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2026
Some people, like me, are bothered by such images but can mostly ignore them.

— Gabriela Galvin, Scientific American, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of bother

Verb

On Monday, a court granted the US government’s request to deny release of a former OpenAI engineer accused of bugging a top-secret conference room to steal the frontier lab’s secrets.

— Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 19 Oct. 2026
And as the team moved into the couple’s guest house on their San Diego rental property, the filmmakers feared that the home was bugged and ordered a device to try to de-bug it, without success.

— Kirsten Chuba, HollywoodReporter, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of bug

Verb

Those governments provide assurances that people won’t be persecuted or tortured, federal attorneys said.

— Lindsay Whitehurst, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026
Also, some immigration cases involve people seeking asylum because they are being persecuted by a foreign government and releasing a person’s full name could be considered sensitive or even dangerous.

— Laura Tillman, Hartford Courant, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of persecute

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“Annoy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/annoy. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of annoy

verb

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