Library / English Dictionary

IRRITATE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Excite to an abnormal condition, or chafe or inflame

Example:

Aspirin irritates my stomach

Classified under:

Verbs of grooming, dressing and bodily care

Hypernyms (to "irritate" is one way to...):

aggravate; exacerbate; exasperate; worsen (make worse)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "irritate"):

chafe; fret; gall (become or make sore by or as if by rubbing)

itch; rub; scratch (scrape or rub as if to relieve itching)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something

Antonym:

soothe (cause to feel better)

Derivation:

irritation (an uncomfortable feeling of mental painfulness or distress)

irritation ((pathology) abnormal sensitivity to stimulation)

irritative ((used of physical stimuli) serving to stimulate or excite)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Excite to some characteristic action or condition, such as motion, contraction, or nervous impulse, by the application of a stimulus

Example:

irritate the glands of a leaf

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Hypernyms (to "irritate" is one way to...):

excite; stimulate (act as a stimulant)

Domain category:

physiology (the branch of the biological sciences dealing with the functioning of organisms)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "irritate"):

pinch; vellicate (irritate as if by a nip, pinch, or tear)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s something

Derivation:

irritation (the neural or electrical arousal of an organ or muscle or gland)

irritative ((used of physical stimuli) serving to stimulate or excite)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Cause annoyance in; disturb, especially by minor irritations

Example:

It irritates me that she never closes the door after she leaves

Synonyms:

annoy; bother; chafe; devil; get at; get to; gravel; irritate; nark; nettle; rag; rile; vex

Classified under:

Verbs of feeling

Hypernyms (to "irritate" is one way to...):

displease (give displeasure to)

Verb group:

chafe (feel extreme irritation or anger)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "irritate"):

get; get under one's skin (irritate)

eat into; fret; grate; rankle (gnaw into; make resentful or angry)

peeve (cause to be annoyed, irritated, or resentful)

ruffle (trouble or vex)

fret (cause annoyance in)

beset; chevvy; chevy; chivvy; chivy; harass; harry; hassle; molest; plague; provoke (annoy continually or chronically)

antagonise; antagonize (provoke the hostility of)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody

Sentence examples:

The bad news will irritate him

The performance is likely to irritate Sue

Derivation:

irritant (something that causes irritation and annoyance)

irritation (the act of troubling or annoying someone)

irritation (unfriendly behavior that causes anger or resentment)

irritation (a sudden outburst of anger)

irritation (the psychological state of being irritated or annoyed)

Credits

 Context examples: 

But he shook my hand off with an irritated movement, and for a long time I stood by his side in silence.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

Ubinas’s frequent ash emissions are irritating the eyes and throats of thousands of local residents, especially children.

(Fresh lava arrives at Ubinas volcano, NASA)

Being exposed to high levels of acetone may irritate the skin, eyes, nose, throat, and lungs.

(Acetone, NCI Dictionary)

Had the late Mr. Darcy liked me less, his son might have borne with me better; but his father's uncommon attachment to me irritated him, I believe, very early in life.

(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)

It has a strong odor and can irritate the skin, eyes, nose, throat, and lungs.

(Ammonia, NCI Dictionary)

Exposure to Mirex irritates the skin and eyes and causes a headache as well as dizziness, nausea and vomiting and affects the central nervous system, lungs, liver and kidneys.

(Mirex, NCI Thesaurus)

In addition, mold exposure may irritate your eyes, skin, nose, throat, and lungs.

(Molds, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Exposure to this substance irritates the eyes, skin and respiratory tract and damages the kidneys and liver. o-Tolidine is reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen.

(o-Tolidine, NCI Thesaurus)

Exposure to this substance irritates the skin and can cause headaches, vertigo, and affects the blood. o-Anisidine hydrochloride is reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen.

(o-Anisidine Hydrochloride, NCI Thesaurus)

Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) Does the patient get irritated and easily disturbed?

(NPI - Get Irritated and Easily Disturbed, NCI Thesaurus)