irritable

American  

[ir-i-tuh-buhl] / ˈɪr ɪ tə bəl /

adjective

1. easily irritated or annoyed; readily excited to impatience or anger.

   Synonyms:

   resentful, petulant, snappish

2. Physiology, Biology. displaying irritability.

3. Pathology. susceptible to physical irritation.

4. Medicine/Medical. abnormally sensitive to a stimulus.

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irritable British  

/ ˈɪrɪtəbəl /

adjective

1. quickly irritated; easily annoyed; peevish

2. (of all living organisms) capable of responding to such stimuli as heat, light, and touch

3. pathol abnormally sensitive

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Related Words

Irritable, testy, touchy, irascible are adjectives meaning easily upset, offended, or angered. Irritable means easily annoyed or bothered, and it implies cross and snappish behavior: an irritable clerk, rude and hostile; Impatient and irritable, he was constantly complaining. Testy describes the same kind of behavior or response, particularly to minor annoyances: always on edge, testy and sharp in response; testy and petulant, resenting any interruption. Touchy emphasizes oversensitivity and readiness to take offense, even when none is intended: especially touchy about any reference to obesity. Irascible means habitually angry or easily aroused to anger: an irascible tyrant, roaring at employees for the slightest error.

Other Word Forms

• irritability noun
• irritableness noun
• irritably adverb
• nonirritable adjective
• nonirritableness noun
• nonirritably adverb
• unirritable adjective
• unirritably adverb

Etymology

Origin of irritable

First recorded in 1655–65; from Latin irrītābilis, equivalent to irrītā(re) “to irritate ” + -bilis -ble

Explanation

If you're feeling on edge, like the smallest thing could bother you or make you lose your temper, you are irritable. Did I say something wrong? Irritable means "easy to irritate or bother." If you have irritable skin, you get a rash from just about anything. An irritable person is not easy-going and often not very easy to be around. You might feel like you're "walking on eggshells," or being extra careful not to upset your brother when he's in an irritable mood. Is there anything I can do to make you less irritable? Fetch your favorite blanket? Maybe I'll just go away now.

Example Sentences

Disruptions in this newly identified signaling pathway may play a role in conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome, food intolerances, and chronic visceral pain.

From Science Daily • Mar. 28, 2026

And these foods are linked to a range of chronic health issues, including Type 2 diabetes, obesity, heart disease, certain types of cancer, irritable bowel syndrome and even early death.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 23, 2026

Part of the draw of AI chatbots is "they're compelling, personable, and never irritable or jealous or manipulative, at least in theory", Dr Jennifer Cearns said.

From BBC • Jan. 30, 2026

AbbVie cut the list price of Linzess, a treatment for irritable bowel syndrome, by about 50%, to $282 a month.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 29, 2026

He turned out to be as tetchy and irritable as he looked.

From "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly

Related Words

• annoyed
• contentious
• exasperated
• fractious
• petulant
• prickly
• resentful
• surly
• testy