kind of irritating

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "kind of irritating" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to express a mild annoyance or frustration about something in a casual or informal context. Example: "The constant noise from the construction site is kind of irritating when I'm trying to concentrate."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

13 human-written examples

"I had always found this woman kind of irritating.

The New York Times

Is it gratifying or just kind of irritating that all your co-stars are nominated, too?

The New York Times

I try to not be that kind of irritating.

Huffington Post

Politicians Flying the Coop THE LEADER OF THE SYRIAN OPPOSITION PARTY HAS RESIGNED But apparently his party have refused the resignation, which must be kind of irritating.

Vice

Neill's secretive lead investigator character is a little too enigmatic; he merely glowers, scowls and intimates that he knows a lot more than everyone else, which can be kind of irritating.

Huffington Post

Anyways, we get the feeling that by tomorrow morning everybody will be done with this whole deal and then Monday morning everyone's parents will forward them the story and we'll all be really done with it, so enjoy it now while it's still only kind of irritating.

Vice

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

46 human-written examples

What did kind of irritate me was that there didn't seem to be a neat, tidy course for me to take.

Science Magazine

Just big, bodacious... and, also it just kind of irritates the wife so it's funny".

Huffington Post

Then her voice strengthened as she declared with conviction, "Rather than just demonstrate and march along and kind of irritate everyone, try to pull people together and say, 'Look, we have this potential, let's try to improve it.' Sometimes going for the positive to defeat the negative carries a lot more weight than just celebrating the negative".

Huffington Post

"It kind of irritates me but at the same time makes me happy,' she says.. 'I'm nervous that, if a lot of people get the semicolon tattoo just to get it, that it will kind of lose it's originality...I'm nervous that someone will see that I have the tattoo and say something along the lines of "Oh, another person with a semicolon tattoo".

Huffington Post

"I kind of irritated him and he irritated me.

Los Angeles Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When aiming for more formal or professional tone, consider replacing "kind of irritating" with alternatives like "somewhat annoying" or "slightly bothersome".

Common error

While "kind of irritating" is acceptable, overuse can make your writing sound repetitive and less impactful. Vary your vocabulary by using different adjectives to describe the source of irritation.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "kind of irritating" functions as an adverbial modifier followed by an adjective. It softens the adjective "irritating", indicating a mild degree of annoyance. Ludwig AI confirms that this is correct and usable in written English.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

60%

Wiki

20%

Science

10%

Less common in

Formal & Business

5%

Encyclopedias

3%

Reference

2%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "kind of irritating" is a commonly used expression to convey mild annoyance or frustration. As highlighted by Ludwig, it is grammatically correct and suitable for informal contexts, particularly in News & Media and Wiki sources. While versatile, it's advisable to consider more formal alternatives like "somewhat annoying" in professional settings. Overusing this phrase might diminish its impact, so varying your vocabulary is recommended.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

rather irritating

Substitutes "kind of" with "rather" to intensify the level of irritation.

somewhat annoying

Uses "annoying" to directly express the irritation, replacing the softer "kind of irritating".

a little annoying

Similar to "somewhat annoying" but uses "a little" instead of "somewhat".

a tad irritating

Replaces "kind of" with the more informal "a tad".

slightly bothersome

Employs "bothersome" to indicate a minor level of disturbance or annoyance.

a bit frustrating

Replaces "irritating" with "frustrating", suggesting a sense of being challenged or thwarted.

mildly vexing

Uses "vexing" to convey a state of being slightly disturbed or annoyed.

somewhat provoking

Utilizes "provoking" to suggest a slight instigation of anger or frustration.

slightly infuriating

Replaces "irritating" with "infuriating", signifying a stronger emotional response.

moderately displeasing

Uses "displeasing" to express a mild dissatisfaction or annoyance.

FAQs

What can I say instead of "kind of irritating"?

You can use alternatives like "somewhat annoying", "slightly bothersome", or "a bit frustrating" depending on the context.

Is "kind of irritating" formal or informal?

"Kind of irritating" is considered informal. In more formal settings, consider using alternatives such as "somewhat annoying" or "slightly irritating".

How to use "kind of irritating" in a sentence?

You can use "kind of irritating" to describe something that causes mild annoyance. For example: "The noise from the construction site is "kind of irritating" when I'm trying to concentrate."

What's the difference between "kind of irritating" and "very irritating"?

"Kind of irritating" expresses a mild level of annoyance, while "very irritating" indicates a much stronger feeling of irritation. The choice depends on the intensity of the feeling you want to convey.