irritant
Americanadjective
noun
-
anything that irritates.
-
Physiology, Pathology. a biological, chemical, or physical agent that stimulates a characteristic function or elicits a response, especially an inflammatory response.
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
- irritancy noun
- nonirritancy noun
- nonirritant adjective
- unirritant adjective
Etymology
Origin of irritant
1630–40; < Latin irrītant- (stem of irrītāns ), present participle of irrītāre to irritate; see -ant
Compare meaning
How does irritant compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
An irritant is a substance that causes pain, itching, or discomfort. Chlorine, which is commonly used in swimming pools and hot tubs, is an irritant that dries out skin and reddens eyes. A physical irritant does just what it sounds like: it irritates your body in some way. For some people, any scent in hand soap or laundry detergent acts as an irritant, causing itchy rashes. A figurative irritant is someone or something that bugs you. The noise your brother makes when he slurps his cereal every morning might, for example, be an irritant. The word is related to irritate, sharing the Latin root irritare, "provoke."
Vocabulary lists containing irritant
John F. Kennedy's Address to the American People on the Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)
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"Introduction to Homeland Security," Vocabulary from Chapter 3
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Additional Articles on DDT and Malaria
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“I would describe it as being the irritant in Linwood’s underwear,” said Cranston, who is also an executive producer.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026
"It turns out that a specific irritant receptor is 30 times less sensitive in snow flies than in mosquitoes and fruit flies," Gallio said.
From Science Daily • Mar. 26, 2026
When an irritant gets on your skin, a biochemical process activates sensory neurons that make you itchy.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 21, 2026
Video footage from witnesses showed Pretti holding his phone and filming agents before he was sprayed by a chemical irritant and taken to the ground by federal agents.
From Barron's • Jan. 28, 2026
He was an irritant to the state because of his sharp questions and attempts to show that the state was the violator of laws, not the Congress.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
