ANNOYANCE

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does annoyance mean? 

• ANNOYANCE (noun)
  The noun ANNOYANCE has 5 senses:

1. the psychological state of being irritated or annoyed

2. anger produced by some annoying irritation

3. an unpleasant person who is annoying or exasperating

4. something or someone that causes trouble; a source of unhappiness

5. the act of troubling or annoying someone

  Familiarity information: ANNOYANCE used as a noun is common.

 Dictionary entry details 

• ANNOYANCE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The psychological state of being irritated or annoyed

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Synonyms:

annoyance; botheration; irritation; vexation

Hypernyms ("annoyance" is a kind of...):

mental condition; mental state; psychological condition; psychological state ((psychology) a mental condition in which the qualities of a state are relatively constant even though the state itself may be dynamic)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "annoyance"):

bummer (an experience that is irritating or frustrating or disappointing)

huff; miff; seeing red (a state of irritation or annoyance)

pinprick (a minor annoyance)

impatience; restlessness (a lack of patience; irritation with anything that causes delay)

snit (a state of agitated irritation)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Anger produced by some annoying irritation

Classified under:

Nouns denoting feelings and emotions

Synonyms:

annoyance; chafe; vexation

Hypernyms ("annoyance" is a kind of...):

anger; choler; ire (a strong emotion; a feeling that is oriented toward some real or supposed grievance)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "annoyance"):

irritation; pique; temper (a sudden outburst of anger)

frustration (a feeling of annoyance at being hindered or criticized)

aggravation; exasperation (an exasperated feeling of annoyance)

harassment; torment (a feeling of intense annoyance caused by being tormented)

displeasure (the feeling of being displeased or annoyed or dissatisfied with someone or something)

Sense 3

Meaning:

An unpleasant person who is annoying or exasperating

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

aggravator; annoyance

Hypernyms ("annoyance" is a kind of...):

disagreeable person; unpleasant person (a person who is not pleasant or agreeable)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Something or someone that causes trouble; a source of unhappiness

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Synonyms:

annoyance; bother; botheration; infliction; pain; pain in the ass; pain in the neck

Context example:

he's not a friend, he's an infliction

Hypernyms ("annoyance" is a kind of...):

negative stimulus (a stimulus with undesirable consequences)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "annoyance"):

nuisance ((law) a broad legal concept including anything that disturbs the reasonable use of your property or endangers life and health or is offensive)

irritant; thorn (something that causes irritation and annoyance)

plague (an annoyance)

Sense 5

Meaning:

The act of troubling or annoying someone

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

annoyance; annoying; irritation; vexation

Hypernyms ("annoyance" is a kind of...):

mistreatment (the practice of treating (someone or something) badly)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "annoyance"):

exasperation (actions that cause great irritation (or even anger))

red flag (something that irritates or demands immediate action)

Derivation:

annoy (cause annoyance in; disturb, especially by minor irritations)

 Context examples 

The dad raised their wages all round to recompense them for the annoyance.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Unfortunately, mosquitoes are much more than an itchy annoyance.

(How mosquitoes detect people, NIH)

Holmes’s face showed his disappointment and annoyance.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

A bite from a mosquito can be much more than just an itchy annoyance.

(Novel insecticide blocks mosquitoes’ ability to urinate, NIH)

Slow growing; causing little or no pain or annoyance.

(Indolent, NCI Thesaurus)

Holmes’s expression was as impassive as ever under the jeers of his antagonist, but his clenched hands betrayed his acute annoyance.

(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Sharp as must have been his annoyance, Silver had the strength of mind to hide it.

(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

I read suspicion there and annoyance, but no jest.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

As my aunt appeared to be annoyed, I thought the best way was to cut her annoyance short.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

The annoyance of the bells must be terrible.

(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)