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

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

How to use irritable in a sentence

One was a randomized-controlled trial done at Harvard Medical School with patients suffering from irritable bowel syndrome.
How Do You Cure a Compassion Crisis? (Ep. 444)|Stephen J. Dubner|December 17, 2020|Freakonomics
Irritably, he complies, but when the stewardess moves on, he reclines the chair again, muttering balefully under his breath.
Stacks: Hitting the Note with the Allman Brothers Band|Grover Lewis|March 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Every time a gust ruffled her hair she shook her head irritably, wondering that she had ever loved the wind.
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton
"For Heaven's sake, don't be a prude, Moya," Joyce snapped irritably.
The Highgrader|William MacLeod Raine

I've a good mind not to get ready at all,' said Sarah irritably and rather foolishly.
Sarah's School Friend|May Baldwin
George asked his sister, rather irritably, when he returned.
Sarah's School Friend|May Baldwin
He looked irritably under lumped old quilts, piles of table linen, and cloth-shielded pictures.
Mountain|Clement Wood

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 related to irritable

How to use irritable in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for irritable

Derived forms of irritable

Medical definitions for irritable