[1] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

irksome \irk"some\, a.
   1. wearisome; tedious; disagreeable or troublesome by reason
      of long continuance or repetition; as, irksome hours;
      irksome tasks.
      1913 webster

            for not to irksome toil, but to delight,
            he made us.                           --milton.
      1913 webster

   2. weary; vexed; uneasy. obs.
      1913 webster

            let us therefore learn not to be irksome when god
            layeth his cross upon us.             --latimer.

   syn: wearisome; tedious; tiresome; vexatious; burdensome.

   usage: irksome, wearisome, tedious. these epithets
          describe things which give pain or disgust. irksome is
          applied to something which disgusts by its nature or
          quality; as, an irksome task. wearisome denotes that
          which wearies or wears us out by severe labor; as,
          wearisome employment. tedious is applied to something
          which tires us out by the length of time occupied in
          its performance; as, a tedious speech.
          1913 webster

                wearisome nights are appointed to me. --job vii.
                                                  3.
          1913 webster

                pity only on fresh objects stays,
                but with the tedious sight of woes decays.
                                                  --dryden.
          -- irk"somely, adv. -- irk"someness, n.
          1913 webster
see also:
irksome wearisome tedious irk"somely irk"someness 

[2] : WordNet (r) 2.0

irksome
     adj : so lacking in interest as to cause mental weariness; "a
           boring evening with uninteresting people"; "the
           deadening effect of some routine tasks"; "a dull play";
           "his competent but dull performance"; "a ho-hum speaker
           who couldn't capture their attention"; "what an irksome
           task the writing of long letters is"- edmund burke;
           "tedious days on the train"; "the tiresome chirping of
           a cricket"- mark twain; "other people's dreams are
           dreadfully wearisome" syn: boring, deadening, dull,
            ho-hum, slow, tedious, tiresome, wearisome
see also:
boring deadening dull ho-hum slow tedious 
tiresome wearisome 

[3] : Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0

61 moby thesaurus words for "irksome":
   aggravating, annoying, backbreaking, besetting, boresome, boring,
   bothering, bothersome, burdensome, chafing, crushing, disturbing,
   drudging, dull, exasperating, exhausting, fagging, fatiguing,
   galling, grueling, harassing, heavy, hefty, importunate, importune,
   irking, irritating, nettling, onerous, oppressive, painful, pesky,
   pestering, pestiferous, pestilent, pestilential, plaguesome,
   plaguey, plaguing, provoking, stupefyingly boring, stupid,
   stuporific, teasing, tedious, tiresome, tiring, tormenting,
   troublesome, troubling, trying, uninteresting, vexatious, vexing,
   weariful, wearing, wearisome, wearying, worrisome, worrying,
   yawny

Irksome >> I Words
Irksome, definition of term: Irksome
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