irritant

[ ir-i-tnt ]

adjective

1. tending to cause irritation; irritating. irritating.

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

/ ˈɪrɪtənt /

adjective

1. causing irritation; irritating

noun

1. something irritant

Derived Forms

• ˈirritancy, noun

Other Words From

• irri·tan·cy noun
• non·irri·tan·cy noun
• non·irri·tant adjective
• un·irri·tant adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of irritant¹

1630–40; < Latin irrītant- (stem of irrītāns ), present participle of irrītāre to irritate; -ant

Example Sentences

They are already free of aluminum, but these formulas are often free of other common irritants, such as dyes and artificial fragrances.

From Popular-Science

Even your chest may hurt as you breathe irritants into your lungs.

From Science News For Students

The surge overwhelmed a small group of Capitol Police officers, but a blast of irritant spray drove Schaffer back outside after nine minutes, his bear spray still in hand.

From Washington Post

Police say that once a riot is declared, they may use chemical irritants and other crowd-control devices.

From Washington Post

Two people have been charged with assaulting Sicknick by spraying him with a chemical irritant.

From Washington Post

That said, Braff has always seemed like a minor irritant, and I never gave any real thought to why he bugged me.

From The Daily Beast

The Republicans are a constant irritant, willing to sacrifice their own standing as long as they can drag him down with them.

From The Daily Beast

An even smaller minority goes and returns so frequently that these lines can be an irritant.

From The Daily Beast

“We averted what was building up to be a major irritant,” says Robert Killebrew, a retired Army colonel.

From The Daily Beast

As compared to that, Israel/Palestine is old hat, and at most a peripheral irritant.

From The Daily Beast

From a clinical study of Rhus poisoning, Pfaff came to the conclusion that the poison must be a non-volatile skin irritant.

From Project Gutenberg

She was finding a species of salve for her own disappointment in this irritant applied to another.

From Project Gutenberg

The latter, like the former, is used as an external irritant.

From Project Gutenberg

The oxalic acid in sorrel is an irritant poison, causing retching and violent pains.

From Project Gutenberg

When the children were growing up and in the crucial stage of adolescence, the father was like some ugly irritant to their souls.

From Project Gutenberg