To be annoyed means to feel bothered, irritated, or frustrated by something that's getting on your nerves. When your little brother keeps tapping his pencil during homework time, or when someone asks you the same question over and over, that prickly, impatient feeling is annoyance.

Annoyance sits between mild irritation and real anger. You're not furious, but you're definitely not happy either. Maybe the classroom is too noisy to concentrate, or your shoelace keeps coming untied, or someone keeps interrupting while you're trying to explain something. These small aggravations can annoy you.

When you're annoyed, something is creating friction in your day, like a pebble in your shoe or a mosquito buzzing near your ear.

People can be annoying without meaning to be. Your friend might have an annoying habit of chewing loudly, or your neighbor's dog might bark at an annoying time every morning. Sometimes we even annoy ourselves, like when we can't remember something we knew just moments ago. The key thing about annoyance is that it's temporary and usually over something relatively small, even if it feels significant in the moment.