annoy

UK: /əˈnɔɪ/ US: /əˈnɔɪ/ ,(ə noi′)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

an•noy /əˈnɔɪ/   v. [~ + object]

1. to disturb or bother in a way that displeases, troubles, or irritates: [~ + object]
   My neighbor's loud television annoys me.
   [It + ~ + object + that clause]
   It annoyed me that my neighbors played their TV late at night.

Related Words

annoy is a verb, annoying is an adjective, annoyance is a noun:
That music annoys me. It is annoying music. Another annoyance was when the train was late.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

an•noy  (ə noi′), v.t. 

1. to disturb or bother (a person) in a way that displeases, troubles, or slightly irritates.
2. to molest;
   harm.

v.i. 

3. to be bothersome or troublesome.

n. 

4. [Archaic.] an annoyance.

• Anglo-French, Old French a(n)nui, etc., derivative of the verb, verbal
• Late Latin inodiāre to cause aversion, from Latin phrase mihi in odiō est … I dislike …; compare in-², odium, ennui, noisome; (noun, nominal) Middle English a(n)noi, ennoi
• Anglo-French, Old French anoier, anuier to molest, harm, tire
• (verb, verbal) Middle English an(n)oien, enoien 1250–1300

an•noy′er, n. 
Synonyms

• 1. harass, pester. See bother, worry. 

Antonyms

• 1. comfort, calm, soothe.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

annoy / əˈnɔɪ/ verb

1. to irritate or displease
2. to harass with repeated attacks

Etymology: 13th Century: from Old French anoier, from Late Latin inodiāre to make hateful, from Latin in odiō (esse) (to be) hated, from odium hatred

anˈnoyer noun