irksome

adjective

irk·​some ˈərk-səm 

: tending to irk : tedious

an irksome task

irksomely adverb

irksomeness noun

Synonyms

• abrasive
• aggravating
• annoying
• bothersome
• carking
• chafing
• disturbing
• exasperating
• frustrating
• galling
• irritating
• maddening
• nettlesome
• nettling
• peeving
• pesky
• pestiferous
• pestilent
• pestilential
• pesty
• plaguey
• plaguy
• rankling
• rebarbative
• riling
• vexatious
• vexing

Examples of irksome in a Sentence

the irksome task of cleaning up

the irksome habit of leaving all the kitchen cabinet doors open

Recent Examples on the Web

For Chicago taxpayers, the wait will be especially irksome because many of them are likely to see painful increases, reflecting this year’s triennial reassessment of city properties, the effects of which will be first seen in the second-installment bills. —The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 14 May 2025

This experiment could have gone wrong in any number of ways—by seeming contrived, by seeming disjointed, by imposing on its readers the irksome requirement of tracking which voice is saying what across two continents and the better part of a century. —Kathryn Schulz, New Yorker, 28 Apr. 2025

For older generations who hold the country’s wealth, that’s irksome. —Marco Della Cava, USA Today, 17 Apr. 2025

Democracy is a discipline, like diet and exercise, strenuous and irksome. —David Bezmozgis, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

irksome

adjective

irk·​some ˈərk-səm 

: annoying because of length or dullness

an irksome task

irksomely adverb

irksomeness noun