irritant

American  

[ir-i-tnt] / ˈɪr ɪ tnt /

adjective

1. tending to cause irritation; irritating. irritating.

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noun

1. anything that irritates.

2. Physiology, Pathology. a biological, chemical, or physical agent that stimulates a characteristic function or elicits a response, especially an inflammatory response.

irritant British  

/ ˈɪrɪtənt /

adjective

1. causing irritation; irritating

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noun

1. something irritant

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; -ant

Compare meaning

How does irritant compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• vesicant vs. irritant

Example Sentences

The chair would make life’s unavoidable irritants that much more bearable.

From Salon

Now that the FTAs are done and dusted, the focus in Delhi will have to shift towards streamlining these irritants, experts say.

From BBC

These issues, analysts say, are not episodic irritants but symbols of imbalance.

From BBC

Rapid-response teams—made up of locals riding motorcycles and armed with firecrackers and devices that spray chili-pepper irritants—try to steer wandering elephants back into protected areas.

From The Wall Street Journal

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