IRKED Synonyms: 159 Similar and Opposite Words

irked 1 of 2

adjective

as in annoyed

subjected to and reacting with irritation irked drivers were honking and shouting at the cows in the road

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irked

2 of 2

verb

past tense of irk

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

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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 irked

Verb

But Trinity's focus on its bottom line also irked many Republicans, including Mantello, who was the City Council president at the time. — Noam Levey, NPR, 1 Sep. 2026 Every president since there have been broadcasters has had reason to be irked by them, both radio and television. — New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 24 Aug. 2026 If customers have been irked about the thumb-twiddling wait or early closing hours, most aren’t complaining. — Michael Deeds, Idaho Statesman, 18 Aug. 2026 Baldur is more circumspect, irked at having temporarily lost his boat in the mishap, and unsettled by Helge’s teasing manner, which could be interpreted as either adversarial or flirtatious. — Dennis Harvey, Variety, 26 July 2026 The company behind the disk space analyzer TreeSize has irked some users by no longer offering support or updates for perpetual licenses beyond their maintenance period unless customers subscribe. — Scharon Harding, ArsTechnica, 21 July 2026 There were a lot of characters in Fred’s orbit on Sanford and Son, but no one irked him like Lamont’s fast-talking friend Rollo. — Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 17 July 2026 Back in April, word of Schwartz’s nomination irked some vaccine skeptics who were rising to prominence under Kennedy. — Los Angeles Times, 15 July 2026 Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois seemed personally irked. — Tim Spiers, New York Times, 7 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for irked

Adjective

Issa acts on that notion by encouraging a threesome between herself, Paul Baker, and Anton, who has spent much of the episode getting increasingly annoyed about being left out of everyone else’s scheming.

— Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 2 Sep. 2026
Long enough for the audience to feel annoyed and become squeamish.

— Alex Jovanovich, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of annoyed

Verb

The indictment revealed that prosecutors had bugged the Aisenbergs' home for three months after Sabrina's disappearance.

— Curran Rastogi, ABC News, 10 Aug. 2026
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine, a law-enforcement agency known as NABU, had bugged Mindich’s apartment in Kyiv, and detectives picked up his conversations about Fire Point.

— Simon Shuster, The Atlantic, 17 July 2026

Definition of bugged

Verb

García Luna pledged to restore independence and public confidence in the Public Ministry and began reviewing cases involving officials, journalists, and others who alleged that they had been politically persecuted under the previous administration.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 Aug. 2026
Many Marranos persecuted by the Inquisition did secretly maintain a Jewish identity.

— Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of persecuted

Adjective

John Stewart’s exasperated adieu to his alien abductors doubles as a meta acknowledgement of Episode 2’s exposition-heavy plotting.

— Ben Travers, IndieWire, 23 Aug. 2026
These were voices—complaining, confiding, exasperated, distressed—that had not been heard before, as if the novel were a speaking tube cued to an underground rumble.

— Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of exasperated

Adjective

Much of the work is also focused on building guardrails to protect clients from lawsuits — coming from business partners, local officials, or angry neighbors — in an industry that has an increasingly visible target on its back.

— Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 3 Sep. 2026
Though nothing about the current situation is ideal, there’s no clear way to hop off without ensuring certain doom at the hands of a large, angry cat.

— Joe Wilkins, Futurism, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of angry

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“Irked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/irked. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of irked

adjective

verb

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