מעצבן
The English phrase 'annoying' is translated into Hebrew as מעצבן.
מעצבן is used to describe someone or something that causes irritation or annoyance.
Meaning: causing irritation or annoyance (adj)
Which one should you use?
While מעצבן functions as an adjective meaning 'annoying', it is also the present tense masculine singular form of the verb 'to annoy'.
How does it change in a sentence?
The masculine plural form of the adjective is מעצבנים.
Did you know?
- The root of מעצבן is shared with the word for 'nerve' (עצב), meaning that when you call something 'annoying' in Hebrew, you are literally saying it is 'getting on your nerves'.
- Because the root עצב also means 'pain' or 'sorrow', the word מעצבן shares a linguistic ancestor with the word for 'sadness' (עצב).
- Hebrew distinguishes between a general 'annoying' feeling (מעצבן) and a specific type of 'heavy' or 'oppressive' annoyance called מעיק.
Examples in context
- זה כל כך מעצבן.This is so annoying.This sentence shows how to use מעצבן to describe a situation.Tatoeba #1875735 by fekundulo, translation #2892240 by CK
- תום כל כך מעצבן.Tom is so annoying.This sentence shows how to use מעצבן to describe a person.Tatoeba #5799860 by fekundulo, translation #2647939 by CK
- למה אתה מעצבן את אחותך?Why are you annoying your sister?This sentence shows the use of the verb form of מעצבן in a question.Tatoeba #1777115 by Eldad, translation #1776697 by Amastan
- 29 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Ido and Noa are talking about a noisy neighbor.
- עידו Idoהשכן שלי ממש מעצבן.Ha-shachen sheli mamash me'atzben.My neighbor is really annoying.
- נועה Noaמה הוא עשה עכשיו?Ma hu asa achshav?What did he do now?
- עידו Idoהוא משמיע מוזיקה חזקה.Hu mashmi'a muzika chazaka.He is playing loud music.
- נועה Noaזה באמת נשמע מעצבן.Ze be'emet nishma me'atzben.That really sounds annoying.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “annoying” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
