irritate

[ir-i-teyt]

verb (used with object)

irritated, irritating 

1. to excite to impatience or anger; annoy.

   Synonyms: inflame, infuriate, enrage, incense, pic, ruffle, nettle, gall, fret, chafe, vex

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

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

verb (used without object)

irritated, irritating 

1. to cause irritation or become irritated.

irritate

/ ˈɪrɪˌteɪt /

verb

1. to annoy or anger (someone)

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

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

Other Word Forms

• irritator noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of irritate¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of irritate¹

C16: from Latin irrītāre to provoke, exasperate

Synonym Study

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.

Example Sentences

Your son was sometimes irritated by my questions, but he was raised with good manners.

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“Every time he laid down it would irritate the skin and cause it to bleed. I was putting duct tape to fix it.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Sir Keir may not strike you as the kind of bloke to be frequently demonstrably angry or irritated.

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Being opened up to criticism may be irritating given what he offers defensively.

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His popularity and internet savviness long rattled the Kremlin, while senior figures were irritated by his investigations into high-profile government corruption.

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Related Words

• aggravate 
• annoy 
• bother 
• confuse 
• disturb 
• enrage 
• exasperate 
• gall 
• incense 
• inflame 
• infuriate 
• irk 
• offend 
• peeve 
• provoke 
• rankle 
• rattle 
• rile 
• sour 
• vex