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irritant

[ ir-i-tnt ]
/ ˈɪr ɪ tnt /
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adjective
tending to cause irritation; irritating.
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.
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Origin of irritant

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

OTHER WORDS FROM irritant

ir·ri·tan·cy, nounnon·ir·ri·tan·cy, nounnon·ir·ri·tant, adjectiveun·ir·ri·tant, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use irritant in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for irritant

irritant
/ (ˈɪrɪtənt) /

adjective
causing irritation; irritating
noun
something irritant

Derived forms of irritant

irritancy, noun
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
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