Annoying means causing irritation or mild frustration, like a mosquito buzzing near your ear when you're trying to sleep, or someone tapping their pencil repeatedly during a quiet test. When something is annoying, it bothers you without being truly harmful or serious.

Things can be annoying in different ways. A younger sibling might be annoying by following you around and interrupting constantly. A dripping faucet becomes annoying after you've heard it for the hundredth time. Some people find certain sounds annoying, like nails on a chalkboard or loud chewing.

What makes something annoying often depends on the person and the situation. The same joke told once might be funny, but repeated ten times becomes annoying. Being asked “Are we there yet?” once on a long car trip is fine, but hearing it every five minutes gets annoying fast.

When you annoy someone, you're not hurting them, but you are wearing down their patience. Most annoying things are small and persistent rather than big or dramatic.