as in to annoy
to disturb the peace of mind of (someone) especially by repeated disagreeable acts
she irked her friend by chewing her gum loudly during the movie
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in headache
something that is a source of irritation
one of the prof's major irks is a cell phone that rings during a lecture
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of irk
Keith M. Phaneuf, Hartford Courant, 27 June 2025
Senate lawmakers have proposed even deeper cuts, irking some rural state senators and House leadership alike.
—Savannah Kuchar, USA Today, 24 June 2025
Washington Post, 22 Apr. 2022
The Moderna, Pfizer, and Johnson & Johnson varieties seem to sit somewhere in the middle of the spectrum of immunological irk.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 1 Dec. 2021
See All Example Sentences for irk
Verb
The Lamont administration irked many legislators earlier this year when the Connecticut Mirror disclosed hundreds of millions of dollars in interest earnings on federal COVID grants, dating back to 2021, weren’t deposited into the General Fund until January 2025.
—Keith M. Phaneuf, Hartford Courant, 27 June 2025
Senate lawmakers have proposed even deeper cuts, irking some rural state senators and House leadership alike.
—Savannah Kuchar, USA Today, 24 June 2025
Noun
The violence gets worse from there, and somehow all that is supposed to fit into a show about a Washington socialite whose biggest irk in the premiere is her rivalry with the first lady.
—Washington Post, 22 Apr. 2022
The Moderna, Pfizer, and Johnson & Johnson varieties seem to sit somewhere in the middle of the spectrum of immunological irk.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 1 Dec. 2021
See All Example Sentences for irk
Recent Examples of Synonyms for irk
Verb
-
Perhaps Trump just wanted to annoy his counterparts, especially those on the continent.—
Yeo Boon Ping,
CNBC,
14 July 2025
-
But Cotton, annoyed by Hank’s indirectness and emotion, browbeats his son.—
Daniel Dockery,
Vulture,
7 July 2025
Noun
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Some headaches are related to muscle tension and can be triggered by stress.9 Hot showers or baths promote relaxation.—
Mark Gurarie,
Verywell Health,
9 July 2025
-
These can seem like a real headache for a sole trader who does not have an HR department to take care of all this for them.—
Peter Boolkah,
Forbes.com,
8 July 2025
Verb
-
Things escalated further as fans began requesting photos and videos, reportedly irritating the R&B star.—
Preezy Brown,
VIBE.com,
14 July 2025
-
According to Valliere, people and pets should avoid coming in contact with several invasive plants in California, including: Certain grasses, which produce long awns and seeds that can irritate skin, get stuck in pets’ fur, and cause discomfort for both animals and humans.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
14 July 2025
Noun
-
The city’s multidisciplinary public task force, established in August 2023, was formed to investigate businesses and properties that have public safety concerns and city ordinance violations like nuisances and municipal offenses.—
PJ Green
July 10,
Kansas City Star,
10 July 2025
-
Relocating nuisance beavers isn’t new in western states.—
John Leos,
AZCentral.com,
8 July 2025
Verb
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There’s something delicious about sipping lemonade after a dip in the pool, looking down from the balcony at the day-trippers all hot and bothered below.—
Richard Godwin,
Travel + Leisure,
12 July 2025
-
That really bothers me more than anything else; that bothers me more than even being excluded.—
Max Gao,
Variety,
11 July 2025
Noun
-
James Tolkan plays Gerald Strickland, who worked at Hill Valley High School and, in both 1955 and 1985, was a thorn in the side of the McFlys.—
Jonathon Dornbush,
EW.com,
3 July 2025
-
Many people had thoughts about what was said, especially the constant thorn in Puff’s side, 50 Cent.—
Armon Sadler,
VIBE.com,
30 June 2025
Verb
-
Say your mother kept bugging you to change a bad habit.—
Bruce Y. Lee,
Forbes.com,
11 May 2025
-
Next season is when all the little things start to bug me.—
Ryan Schwartz,
TVLine,
21 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
More than six months into his presidency, Trump has shown increasing frustration with Putin as a ceasefire deal to end the conflict remains out of reach.—
Cybele Mayes-Osterman,
USA Today,
10 July 2025
-
Clark voiced her frustration that one of her teammates wasn’t spending enough time in the gym.—
Elise Devlin,
New York Times,
10 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Irk.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/irk. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
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