as in annoyed
subjected to and reacting with irritation
irked drivers were honking and shouting at the cows in the road
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in bothered
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of irked
Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 1 Jan. 2026
Washington and Taipei earlier this month announced what could become one of the United States’ biggest-ever military sales to the island, and Taiwan’s president is pushing for the approval of a historic special defense budget – developments that have irked Beijing.
—Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 29 Dec. 2025
Karp had never seen it and seemed mildly amused, rather than irked by it.
—Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 19 Dec. 2025
Yes, he was irked by what apparently were several players planning to enter the transfer portal despite another year remaining on their NIL contract.
—Kansas City Star, 18 Dec. 2025
The whole sequence irked coach Craig Berube afterward.
—Jonas Siegel, New York Times, 14 Dec. 2025
The father had tried to insulate his son from Jesus’ influence – understandable, considering that many legends show Jesus causing the death of his playmates or other boys who somehow irked him.
—Mary Dzon, The Conversation, 12 Dec. 2025
Kipping had envisioned a recessed rectangle — which irked Gehry.
—Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 12 Dec. 2025
In addition to seeking more transparency about the potential sale and buyer, some shareholders were irked by the prospect of having to move out within 12 months of the completion of the sale.
—Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 9 Dec. 2025
Verb
Illini star Dick Butkus, irked at reports suggesting the Big Ten champs were not in top physical shape, led his team on a postgame sprint around the field to show their fitness.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for irked
Adjective
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Virginia was annoyed to see her association made public and suspected someone at Rinehart had talked to Kilgallen.—
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But that fun idea went south when Barlow became annoyed with her castmate Whitney Rose.—
Verb
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Hollywood CEOs aren’t getting hot and bothered about using AI to completely replace real-life movie stars; the guilds wouldn’t allow it, and audiences wouldn’t want it.—
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Burrow, who spoke with media after the Bengals lost 18-20 to the Cleveland Browns, seemed bothered by his 'do from the start, sitting down at the mic and instantly raking his lengthy bangs back with his hands.—
Adjective
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If left to build up on the skin, these substances can make skin look and feel dull or irritated.—
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At first blush, Rachel appears to be a mousy wallflower irritated by Marty’s fast-cash gambits.—
Verb
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Banks has bugged Kerkering to clean his locker, to no avail.—
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Power gains are bugged to be too low for a new power grind that no one wants to do anyway.—
Adjective
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The Tigers, previously 0-9 all-time at Rupp Arena, took advantage of a struggling Kentucky Wildcats squad for a 73-68 upset win.—
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The automaker spent much of the year undoing decisions made by the previous CEO, Carlos Tavares, who resigned at the end of 2024, as stakeholders in the company — from dealers to union rank and file — were upset with him and unhappy with his leadership.—
Verb
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Open Doors is a global Christian charity supporting Christians persecuted for their faith.—
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Most commonly, people felt they were being persecuted via their electronics – that their Wi-Fi networks, computers or cellphones had been hacked or implanted with tracking devices.—
Adjective
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It certainly can be deployed sincerely, yet it’s almost always accompanied by a good-natured, perhaps slightly exasperated, shake of the head.—
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Let the Big Three ride out the final years of this glorious era together, with Kerr looking on, exasperated but content in the final year of his contract.—
Adjective
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Robby is angry at himself for not seeing it.—
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None of the referees appeared to be struck by the objects being thrown on the court, despite video showing a windfall of debris raining down from the angry crowd.—
Cite this Entry
“Irked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/irked. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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