rub up the wrong way

idiom
UK: /ˌrʌb ʌp ðə ˌrɒŋ ˈweɪ/
US: /ˌrʌb ʌp ðə ˌrɔːŋ ˈweɪ/

  1. To annoy or irritate someone, often unintentionally.

    1. He didn't mean to rub up the wrong way, but he did.
    2. Her constant complaining started to rub me up the wrong way after a while.

  2. To offend someone by saying or doing something that annoys them.

    1. I think I rubbed him up the wrong way when I disagreed with his idea.
    2. She has a habit of rubbing people up the wrong way without realizing it.

Synonyms

annoy irk aggravate irritate ruffle feathers bother provoke
rub up the wrong way phrasal-verb

  1. Cause someone to feel irritated or angry; to provoke a negative reaction.

    1. Try not to rub the boss up the wrong way today.
    2. His insensitive comments tend to rub up people the wrong way frequently.

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "rub up the wrong way" in English means: To annoy or irritate someone, often unintentionally., To offend someone by saying or doing something that annoys them..

The phonetic transcription of "rub up the wrong way" is /ˌrʌb ʌp ðə ˌrɒŋ ˈweɪ/ in British English and /ˌrʌb ʌp ðə ˌrɔːŋ ˈweɪ/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "rub up the wrong way": annoy, irk, aggravate, irritate, ruffle feathers, bother, provoke.

Example usage of "rub up the wrong way": "He didn't mean to rub up the wrong way, but he did.". More examples on the page.