irritating

American  

[ir-i-tey-ting] / ˈɪr ɪˌteɪ tɪŋ /

adjective

1. causing irritation; annoying; provoking;

   irritating questions.

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Other Word Forms

• irritatingly
  adverb
• nonirritating
  adjective
• unirritating
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of irritating

First recorded in 1700–10; irritat(e) + -ing ²

Explanation

If something's irritating, it annoys you. To most people, tuneless whistling and fingernails on a chalkboard are both irritating sounds. Irritating things bug you. A little kid kicking the back of your seat on an airplane, a driver who follows you too closely on the highway, an early morning work crew right outside your bedroom window — all of these things can be irritating. A more physical way for something to be irritating is if it causes irritation — like a rash or soreness or pain. Your new watch may be irritating to your skin, leaving a red mark on your wrist.

Example Sentences

This trip to Brooklyn, and the other trips, were a little less irritating, though.

From Barron's • May 3, 2026

Underwater speakers blasting irritating sounds, and a curtain of air bubbles, would also deter the carp.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026

I find this really irritating for about 150 reasons, one of which is that in an ever-automated world, it’s another nail in the coffin of human interaction.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 14, 2026

Then the pastor made good on his promise to deliver satire with a bit where, in response to a burst of irritating feedback, he heads to the control room.

From Salon • Feb. 22, 2026

And if the book was irritating, as the old man had said, the boy still had time to change it for another.

From "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho

Related Words

• annoying
• bothersome
• disturbing