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

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 In the months since his March promotion, Andreou has worked to release the Copilot super app, scaled back the ubiquitous Copilot icons that irked Windows users, and launched Copilot Cowork to compete with Anthropic’s highly popular Claude Cowork. — Sebastian Herrera, Fortune, 27 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for irked

Adjective

Bad, fine, and stressed are obvious candidates, but your favorite might be overwhelmed, annoyed, or tired.

— Angela Haupt, Time, 11 Aug. 2026
Economists and the commentariat, playing the role of the annoyed parent, point out that over-all employment has been strong for a while.

— Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 28 July 2026

Definition of annoyed

Adjective

The 38-year-old photographer from Colchester, Essex — who has worn daily contact lenses for more than two decades — at first assumed his eye was irritated by sand and saltwater from surfing, per Kennedy News and Media.

— Erin Clack, PEOPLE, 23 Aug. 2026
By the second day, the novelty wears off, and the two teams can get irritated at each other.

— Zach Berman, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of irritated

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

Adjective

Common signs that your dog may be sensitive to something in their food can include frequent scratching, paw licking, gas, loose stools, occasional digestive upset, or changes in coat quality.

— Matthew Kayser, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026
The thinking is that orbital data centers can leapfrog past some of the ground-level issues such as where to build them, and upset communities that don’t want to host data centers, despite their municipalities making deals for construction.

— Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of upset

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

But some of it is about the cultural change that people argue about, on their phones, with the other angry people that their algorithm has found for them.

— David Weigel, semafor.com, 26 Aug. 2026
Pretendian hunters tend to be painted as aggressive or angry, which ultimately serves to undermine their claims.

— Tommy Orange, Vulture, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of angry

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“Irked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/irked. Accessed 31 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of irked

adjective

verb

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