Irk

/ɜrk/

Meaning & Definition

verb

to annoy, irritate, or exasperate.

His constant humming began to irk her during the quiet evening.

to cause a feeling of discomfort or displeasure.

The delays in the project started to irk the management team.

to trouble or worry.

It irked him to think that he might have forgotten an important appointment.

Middle English 'irken', possibly from Old Norse 'yrkja' meaning 'to work, toil'.

irk someone's feathers

To annoy someone.

irk out

To become annoyed or irritated.

it's irksome

It is annoying or troublesome.

irritate

To provoke impatience or anger.

vex

To bring trouble or distress.

bother

To cause someone to feel concern or worry.

To get on someone's nerves.

That song just irks me every time I hear it.

To bug someone.

Stop it, you're really irking me!