35 Annoying Things You’ll Love to Hate

The world is beautiful. People are kind, generous, and moral. The internet is a near-infinite database of human knowledge to be shared and enjoyed across the globe. Making it a better place.

But just like everything in the universe, there must be balance. For every one thing that makes you feel relaxed and happy, there is something to aggravate you. And with our brains being programmed to focus on the negative, wouldn’t it be nice if we could get the bad stuff out of the way?

So, we’ve done you a favor and compiled a list of annoying things to get your blood boiling. That way, you will reach your bad-karma quota and have uninterrupted nice things in your life for quite some time after reading this. Probably. I’m pretty sure that’s how Karma works.

Enjoy (or not)!

Annoying behaviors

We’re all guilty of being annoying, at least to someone. But even with that self-awareness, our frustration over other people who behave obnoxiously is still heartfelt.

Here I’ve listed behaviors that will grind your gears (although, I’m sure we’ve all done at least one of these).

1. Not standing to one side on the escalator

I have never been anywhere that this courtesy is not common knowledge, so it still baffles me how people don’t follow this.

Why have they not noticed everyone standing in a single line on one side?

It doesn’t even serve any benefit to be casually leaning on the wrong side. Complete lack of social and spatial awareness.

2. Looking at their phone when you’re talking to them

With mobile phones practically a necessity these days, we find ourselves juggling two lives: our online life and our real life.

However, shouldn’t our physical relationships take precedence over our digital ones? For a lot of people, the answer to that is ‘no.’ Personally I don’t mind waiting for a reply to an IM but have big problems being ignored to my face.

But maybe that’s just me.

3. Talking at the movies

I will shush my own family members at home when they speak (or breath heavily) during a movie. But I do forgive them.

I will disown them, however, if they become one of those monsters who talk in the cinema.

You shouldn’t have to fear your Saturday night treat being ruined by some loud mouth who thinks you would rather hear their comments than the movie.

It also confuses me very much why people would pay over 10 bucks just to talk through a film!

4. Taking up both armrests

Still on the cinema theme, but this is also true for theaters, airplanes, waiting rooms, and roller-coasters.

It’s bad enough that you’re squeezed into a place that requires you to share an armrest, even worse when the person you’re sitting next to forgets all etiquette in this regard. Worse still is when you have two of those people on each side and you’re stuck in the middle like an unwanted sardine.

5. Somehow making every conversation about them

Only a few people listen — the rest are just waiting their turn to speak.

And when they do get their chance, it’s usually irrelevant gobbledygook that only serves to inflate their ego.

Probably a good time to get out your phone.

Usually, when we come across people with these behaviors, we can choose not to have them in our lives. However, there is one place where escape isn’t an option: Work.

Here are a few examples of annoying colleague behavior.

6. Removing your shoes at your desk and walking around in your bare or stockinged feet.

Spending as much time at work as we do, I understand the need to be comfortable.

Slippers are comfortable. Why don’t they bring in slippers?

7. Interrupting your break with their “problems”

This isn’t so bad if you’re taking a short coffee break in the kitchen — we’re good people who like to help when we can, right?

But it’s the worst when you’re head down on a table, three winks into a good nap, and are awoken to find yourself in a puddle of your own drool only to have to listen to Karen complain about Barry always disturbing her break.

8. Showing up late to work

You’re a good worker, you turn up on time, do your duty, and clock out at the end of the day. You get paid a fair salary, you put in your hours, and everything is at equilibrium.

Then there’s Johnny No-show who turns up late, cruises through the day, and sneaks out early. Oh, and he also makes more money than you.

9. Eating smelly food at their desk

Sometimes we just don’t have the time for a dedicated lunch break. Eating in the office is our only choice.

But did Johnny No-show really have to bring a spicy garlic tuna & cheese melt with a boiled egg on the side?

10. Spreading their things all over the place

Let’s not forget about that one colleague who marks their territory by spreading the contents of their briefcase, purse, pockets and rucksack all over the place.

Probably the same person who takes up both seats on the bus. And the armrests.

Annoying words and phrases

The English language is a mysterious and beautiful thing. It can also really drive you nuts.

11. “Sorry, not sorry”

There are only two reasons why you should say “Sorry not sorry” to someone.

First, because you love them and know they’ll get the joke.

And second, when you want to start World War III.

12. “Literally”

Literally has been used figuratively for – like, literally? – ever.

But the fact that Mark Twain, Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, and David Foster Wallace have literally all used literally figuratively hasn’t stopped this from making the charts on people’s list of grammar pet peeves.

13. “Boys will be boys”

… and dogs will be dogs, but if a Staffordshire terrier bites your daughter, that dog gets euthanized.

I think I just came up with a great way to combat toxic masculinity!

14. “Thanks in advance”

One of the most passive aggressive ways of saying “Do what I say or there will be trouble.”

I’ll have my thanks when I complete the task, thank you very much.

15. “Just sayin’”

A phrase added as an afterthought to a rude comment by someone who wants to think they are nicer than they in fact are.

These people are jerks. Just sayin’.

16. “I could care less”

Oh really? So you care to some degree? No? Ohhhh, so you COULDN’T care less!

17. “Mano a mano”

“Man to man” is what people usually mean by this, and while it is inherently sexist, at least it’s not inherently sexist AND culturally insensitive.

“Mano” means “hand” in Spanish — we don’t speak Spanish by adding an ‘o’ to the end of everything.

Comprende?

18. “Try and do something”

If someone says to you “Try and finish your work.” Your response should be “I will finish my work. What do you want me to try?”

It’s “try to do something.” But hey, if you can’t get this correct straight away — try to try again.

19. “Think outside the box”

What is this box they’re talking about?

A part of your brain filled with ideas that won’t solve any problem?

If I had a box like this, trust me, I wouldn’t be thinking inside it. I would be putting meaningless advice in there like “think outside the box.”

20. “With all due respect”

What this phrase should mean: “I respect you and have listened to your thoughts. However, I think that I have a different take on your opinion and would like you to listen to me. Then we can have a mature argument on the topic.”

What this phrase really means: “I do not respect you. I only tolerated your voice so I could tell you that everything you said is wrong. Whatever it was.”

Annoying people

Before I start this section, I just want to say that I think people are wonderful but can have annoying traits.

There isn’t a single person whose entire personality is made up of annoying behaviors…. But some come close.

Here is a list of people who some may consider annoying but probably aren’t all the time 😉

Spoiler alert: A certain family dominates this list — I doubt they’ll be reading it though.

21. The Kardashians.

For a while I thought the Kardashians were a cult — like a subset of the KKK or something.

Turns out they are the spawn of the lawyer who defended OJ Simpson — I guess they never stood a chance at a normal life.

While you can’t deny the world-wide success they have achieved (albeit much of it on the coattails of others), you have to wonder about their genetic code.

How can one gene-pool produce so much annoyance?

22. Your younger cousin

Most people have one — that annoying child of your mom’s sister, which you always had to entertain during family gatherings.

It used to drive you crazy, pull your hair, and act… well, childish, which back then didn’t sit well with teenage you.

Then it grew up. And not much changed.

23. Jehova’s witnesses

As someone on Reddit bluntly put it:

Is there anything left to say?

Well, yes there is actually…

23.5 People who are intolerant of others.

We know that Jehova’s witnesses are annoying when they knock at your door during dinner to spout a bunch of beliefs that may — but most likely may not — be of interest to you.

But Mr F-word up there is even worse. At least JWs are trying to spread their version of some goodness — albeit intrusively. All F-word guy does is spread hate by collectively condemning a group of people holistically for one specific type of behavior. Despicable.

Wait…. What are we doing here?

24. Door-to-door sales people

Jehovah’s Witnesses who work on commission. That is all.

Annoying trends and memes

The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. Tebowing, the Harlem Shake, the Mannequin Challenge. Many social media trends are thoughtful, creative, social and bring some semblance of positivity to the world.

Others don’t.

Here are some of them:

25. Harambe

Remember Harambe, the gorilla who was killed by a zookeeper back in 2016?

The Internet sure remembers. However, this doesn’t make for a tasteful meme, because at the end of the day it was an imprisoned animal, which died over a human mistake.

Nothing funny about that.

26. Tide Pods

Natural selection — it’s a thing.

My mother always said she would wash my mouth out with soap if I used bad language. I never used bad language because that literally sounds like the worst thing ever.

Apparently not everyone agrees and this horribly dangerous trend began in 2018.

Luckily it has mostly faded out, but not completely.

Like I said, though, natural selection.

27. Deez Nuts

Guess what?

What?

Teapot.

The above is essentially the original version of Deez nuts.

It involves asking someone a vaguely-phrased question to extract a follow-up question in response, typically in the form of one of the five Ws, before yelling out the said phrase in an obnoxious manner.

Neither of these are funny.

Why?

DEEZ NUTS!!!!

28. Minion memes

Simply boomer humor.

There is something extremely annoying about the minions as a whole, and turning them into a meme didn’t help raise their credibility at all.

In fact, statistics say that the only people on this planet who truly enjoy them are your 10-year-old cousin (see above) and probably your dad.

29. Le Monke/Uh Oh Stinky

Annoying backgrounds

Annoyance is somewhat subjective. And to test this out we’ve included a number of animated backgrounds that are sure to drive some of you mad. But could very well be eye-pleasing to others.

Nothing much to say with these.

Enjoy (or not).

30. Let’s hear it for the colors of the good ol’ US of A. (Or UK. Or France. Or Russia. Or The Netherlands…)

31. I feel like I’m playing dungeons and dragons

32. And now it feels like I’m playing an old Commodore 64 that has crashed

33. Just like real football, this never ends

34. I can actually watch this for hours

35. Whatever happened to the worm?

And there we have it. Feeling furious? I hope not — it was just a bit of fun.

Now go out and enjoy this wonderful life. And if you come across anything that annoys you, don’t bottle it up — post it in the comments below and it could end up on this list.

Namaste.