irksome

[ urk-suhm ]

adjective

1. annoying; irritating; exasperating; tiresome:

   irksome restrictions.

2. Obsolete. causing weariness or disgust.

irksome

/ ˈɜːksəm /

adjective

1. causing vexation, annoyance, or boredom; troublesome or tedious

Derived Forms

• ˈirksomeness, noun
• ˈirksomely, adverb

Other Words From

• irksome·ly adverb
• irksome·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of irksome¹

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; irk, -some ¹

Example Sentences

I generally prefer synthetic leather ear cup padding, as it’s less scratchy, but the fabric doesn’t only start to feel irksome when you’re sitting in a hot room, which is better than most.

From Popular-Science

The idea that planets have to clear their orbits is particularly irksome, he says.

From Science News

That irksome window you can’t open because it has a ripped screen.

From Washington Post

However, there’s a difference between constructive complaining and irksome needling.

From Ozy

As a male human resources leader, I find this statement irksome.

From Quartz

Her borderline apologetic view is, frankly, a bit irksome, though not wholly unexpected based on Transmormon.

From The Daily Beast

But there is actually something more irksome than exploiting cancer for profits.

From The Daily Beast

For more than decade, flying has been made irksome rather than pleasurable by an ever-increasing fortress culture at airports.

From The Daily Beast

For most New Yorkers, there are few things as irksome as strangers accosting you on the street.

From The Daily Beast

Even more irksome than the aphorisms is the obviousness of the advice.

From The Daily Beast

They had no power of attention even to a story, and the stillness was irksome to such wild colts.

From Project Gutenberg

They are as impertinent as those people who stop you only to bore you; but the former are perhaps less irksome.

From Project Gutenberg

There is a boundary even to human patience; and now, after many days, Max Bray began to find his position very irksome.

From Project Gutenberg

Their harness is not apparently irksome to them, and is not so heavy as one sees on the Portuguese oxen, for instance.

From Project Gutenberg

It then grew very irksome to him to bear his irons, and he rarely went out to walk.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• aggravating
• bothersome
• irritating
• tedious
• troublesome
• troubling
• vexing