irritate

[ ir-i-teyt ]
See synonyms for: irritateirritatedirritatesirritating on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),ir·ri·tat·ed, ir·ri·tat·ing.
  1. to excite to impatience or anger; annoy.

  2. Physiology, Biology. to excite (a living system) to some characteristic action or function.

  1. Pathology. to bring (a body part) to an abnormally excited or sensitive condition.

verb (used without object),ir·ri·tat·ed, ir·ri·tat·ing.
  1. to cause irritation or become irritated.

Origin of irritate

1
1525–35; <Latin irrītātus, past participle of irrītāre to arouse to anger, excite, aggravate, equivalent to irritā- v. stem + -tus past participle suffix

synonym study For irritate

1. Irritate, exasperate, provoke mean to annoy or stir to anger. To irritate is to excite to impatience or angry feeling, often of no great depth or duration: to irritate by refusing to explain an action. To exasperate is to irritate to a point where self-control is threatened or lost: to exasperate by continual delays and excuses. To provoke is to stir to a sudden, strong feeling of resentful anger as by unwarrantable acts or wanton annoyance: to tease and provoke an animal until it attacks.

Other words for irritate

Other words from irritate

  • ir·ri·ta·tor, noun

Words that may be confused with irritate

Words Nearby irritate

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use irritate in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for irritate

irritate

/ (ˈɪrɪˌteɪt) /


verb
  1. to annoy or anger (someone)

  2. (tr) biology to stimulate (an organism or part) to respond in a characteristic manner

  1. (tr) pathol to cause (a bodily organ or part) to become excessively stimulated, resulting in inflammation, tenderness, etc

Origin of irritate

1
C16: from Latin irrītāre to provoke, exasperate

Derived forms of irritate

  • irritator, noun

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