irritate
Americanverb (used with object)
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irritates,
present (3rd person singular)
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irritated,
past participle, past
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irritating
present participle
-
to excite to impatience or anger; annoy.
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Physiology, Biology. to excite (a living system) to some characteristic action or function.
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Pathology. to bring (a body part) to an abnormally excited or sensitive condition.
verb (used without object)
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irritates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
irritated,
past participle, past
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irritating
present participle
verb
-
to annoy or anger (someone)
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(tr) biology to stimulate (an organism or part) to respond in a characteristic manner
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(tr) pathol to cause (a bodily organ or part) to become excessively stimulated, resulting in inflammation, tenderness, etc
Synonym Usage
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 Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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irritatesimple
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irritatessimple
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have irritatedperfect
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has irritatedperfect
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am irritatingprogressive
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are irritatingprogressive
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is irritatingprogressive
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have been irritatingperfect progressive
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has been irritatingperfect progressive
Past
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irritatedsimple
-
had irritatedperfect
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was irritatingprogressive
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were irritatingprogressive
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had been irritatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of irritate
1525–35; < Latin irrītātus, past participle of irrītāre to arouse to anger, excite, aggravate, equivalent to irritā- v. stem + -tus past participle suffix
Explanation
To irritate is to cause an unsettling reaction, whether it's of the body or the nerves. You can irritate someone by talking too loudly on your cellphone in public. You can also irritate your skin, causing a rash or redness. To irritate is to disturb — either physically or psychologically. When you have an allergic reaction to something, you irritate or disturb the body. When you have an allergic reaction to your kid brother, he is probably irritating you with his annoying habits. And what is the result of something irritating? An irritation of course.
Vocabulary lists containing irritate
Because of Winn-Dixie
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Breathing air with high levels of NO2 can irritate airways, cause coughing, wheezing or make it difficult to breathe and worsen diseases like asthma.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
Short-term exposure can irritate the lungs and nasal passages, and cause nausea and dizziness, said Dr. Regina Chinsio-Kwong, Orange County’s health officer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 23, 2026
It can irritate the lungs and trigger serious breathing problems.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 22, 2026
"That happens when you don't completely kill the bacteria but merely irritate them," Mons says.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 11, 2026
Inhaling the powders seemed to irritate the crazed Viking even more.
From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri
Talk of an eventual rebound irritates investors like Christopher Poch, whose firm Promethium Advisors owns 11,000 Whirlpool shares.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
"It irritates the life out of me," she says.
From BBC ● Nov. 19, 2025
Traditional oral iron supplements can help, but they often leave behind unabsorbed iron that irritates the digestive tract and triggers inflammation.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 20, 2025
The ammonia gas irritates the nasal membranes, causing a reflex that increases breathing and heart rate.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2025
The boys miss the next one, which irritates Brandon and makes Elouise smile.
From "Starfish" by Akemi Dawn Bowman
Canada's regional leaders said the United States has been particularly irritated by one retaliatory measure: the removal of US alcohol and wine from liquor stores.
From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026
One imagines irritated Michigan Wolverines burning checkbooks and disavowing money-market accounts as they drink their spritzes at Ann Arbor tailgates—but inside Columbus, this is like getting to sponsor religion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
Her in-laws had a different reaction: “We were showing them the house, and they got more irritated with every room — like, ‘You have books in here too?’
From Salon ● Jul. 23, 2026
He remains in the Cy Young conversation, despite pitching only 85 ⅔ innings in the first half because of the Dodgers’ six-man rotation and a missed start stemming from an irritated left knee.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 2026
She looks kind of irritated and I feel that in my stomach.
From "Popcorn" by Rob Harrell
There is something uniquely irritating about being emotionally pursued by a corporation that has also failed to notice you moved away.
From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2026
It said the tell-tale signs of bedbugs include red, irritating bites and small blood smears on bed linen; and small brown insects in or around the sleeping area.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
Letisha Lucas, a 33-year-old tourist from Canada -- which has its own wildfires happening -- said the smoke smell was immediately obvious on arrival in Madrid "and very irritating on the throat".
From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026
For some, the noise is irritating but manageable.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 19, 2026
“That is no answer; or rather it is a very irritating, because a very evasive one. Reply clearly.”
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
