irritable

[ ir-i-tuh-buhl ]

/ ˈɪr ɪ tə bəl /

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See synonyms for: irritable / irritableness / irritably on Thesaurus.com

adjective

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

Physiology, Biology. displaying irritability.

Pathology. susceptible to physical irritation.

Medicine/Medical. abnormally sensitive to a stimulus.

OTHER WORDS FOR irritable

1 snappish, petulant, resentful.

See synonyms for irritable on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of irritable

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

synonym study for irritable

1. 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 WORDS FROM irritable

ir·ri·ta·ble·ness, nounir·ri·ta·bly, adverbnon·ir·ri·ta·ble, adjectivenon·ir·ri·ta·ble·ness, noun

non·ir·ri·ta·bly, adverbun·ir·ri·ta·ble, adjectiveun·ir·ri·ta·bly, adverb

Words nearby irritable

irrigate, irrigation, irrigative, irriguous, irritability, irritable, irritable bowel syndrome, irritable heart, irritant, irritate, irritated

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use irritable in a sentence

Normally even-keeled, he was irritable and short-tempered, including with her son — and Huddleston’s soon-to-be stepson — Allan Osborn.
In the shadow of the towers: Five lives and a world transformed|Joby Warrick, Souad Mekhennet|September 2, 2021|Washington Post
As the day approached, my daughter grew more and more irritable.
Kids are feeling anxiety about a ‘return to normal’|Melinda Wenner Moyer|June 24, 2021|Washington Post
Take, for example, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a condition that affects some 15 percent of Americans.
Clinton Doc: This Is How We’ll Fix Health Care|Daniela Drake|June 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But new research shows it is indeed real, and may be the cause of asthma, irritable bowel syndrome, arthritis, and more.
New Research Shows Poorly Understood “Leaky Gut Syndrome” Is Real, May Be the Cause of Several Diseases|Daniela Drake|March 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST

FODMAP foods can worsen irritable bowel symptoms for many of the 15 percent of Americans that suffer from the condition.
Pizza Might Be Your Enemy|Daniela Drake|March 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She was irritable and ornery almost all of the time, and she seemed to be trying to distance herself from the others.
Inside Tania Head’s Terrible 9/11 Lie: ‘The Woman Who Wasn’t There’|Robin Gaby Fisher, Angelo J. Guglielmo, Jr.|April 6, 2012|DAILY BEAST
And he came across as irritable and snarky when asked to provide a succinct answer on how to address health care.
Newt Gingrich Will Be Everyone's Target on the Next Debate|Mark McKinnon|December 10, 2011|DAILY BEAST
He became irritable, distressed, and anxious—struggled hard to get the needful sum together, struggled and strove; but failed.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV.|Various
As, during the whole pepper-harvest, they feed wholly on this stimulant, they become exceedingly irritable.
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun;|Various
There was also a moral reaction, and the boy became capricious, irritable, and unlike his former self.
The Life & Letters of Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky|Modeste Tchaikovsky
There are few greater annoyances of life than an irritable woman, rendered doubly morose by the infirmities of years.
Madame Roland, Makers of History|John S. C. Abbott
The Colonel, who was suffering from an attack of rheumatic gout, was more irritable than usual.
The Cromptons|Mary J. Holmes

British Dictionary definitions for irritable

irritable

/ (ˈɪrɪtəbəl) /

adjective

quickly irritated; easily annoyed; peevish

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

pathol abnormally sensitive

Derived forms of irritable

irritability, nounirritableness, nounirritably, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for irritable

irritable

[ ĭr′ĭ-tə-bəl ]

adj.

Capable of reacting to a stimulus.

Abnormally sensitive to a stimulus.

irritable

OTHER WORDS FOR irritable

Origin of irritable

synonym study for irritable

OTHER WORDS FROM irritable

Words nearby irritable

Words related to irritable

How to use irritable in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for irritable

Derived forms of irritable

Medical definitions for irritable