irritated
Americanadjective
-
angered, provoked, or annoyed.
-
inflamed or made raw, as a part of the body.
Other Word Forms
- irritatedly adverb
- unirritated adjective
Etymology
Origin of irritated
Explanation
When you're irritated, you're annoyed. You'd probably be irritated if someone ate the leftover Indian food that you were saving for lunch. The adjective irritated describes a state that's a little milder than anger. When you're irritated about something, you're impatient or exasperated, the way you feel when someone rubs you the wrong way. Irritated can also mean this quite literally; your wrist might be irritated by the rubbing of your new watch band. The word irritated comes from the Latin irritatus, which means "excite or provoke." Anything that provokes you in an annoying way can make you irritated.
Vocabulary lists containing irritated
Emotions on Display
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In the Mood? 100 Words to Describe Emotions
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Mad Infinitum: Synonyms for "Angry"
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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.
With them, her daughter’s skin no longer gets irritated, said Rickert, who got her business Cuddle-Kin off the ground last year.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026
He was speaking to reporters and plainly irritated.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026
When Laura insists on returning to Berlin, the impatient, irritated boyfriend reluctantly agrees to drive her back to the train station.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 19, 2026
While seated to his immediate left at a conference table, I asked a question that clearly irritated him.
From Salon • Mar. 7, 2026
She sighed, irritated by the smell and buzzing flies.
From "The Birchbark House" by Louise Erdrich
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.
