irritating

[ir-i-tey-ting]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR irritating ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

causing irritation; annoying; provoking: irritating questions.

Origin of irritating

First recorded in 1700–10; irritate + -ing²

Related formsir·ri·tat·ing·ly, adverbnon·ir·ri·tat·ing, adjectiveun·ir·ri·tat·ing, adjective

irritate

[ir-i-teyt]

verb (used with object), ir·ri·tat·ed, ir·ri·tat·ing.

to excite to impatience or anger; annoy.

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

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.

to cause irritation or become irritated.

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

Related formsir·ri·ta·tor, noun

Can be confusedaggravate annoy irritate

Synonyms for irritate

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR irritate ON THESAURUS.COM

1. vex, chafe, fret, gall; nettle, ruffle, pique; incense, enrage, infuriate, inflame.

Synonym study

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.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for irritating

disturbing, annoying, bothersome, trying, provoking

Examples from the Web for irritating

Contemporary Examples of irritating

It reminds me of an uncle of mine who said the London Blitz was irritating.
Why Can’t Movies Capture Genius?
Clive Irving
December 14, 2014
This strain of enterovirus seems unusually provocative in irritating lower airways, thereby causing airway narrowing.
Midwest's 'Mystery Virus' Is Scary but Not Deadly
Kent Sepkowitz
September 8, 2014
It is such an irritating movie that it has had the effect of clarifying, once and for all, why Braff himself is bothersome.
Zach Braff’s Irritating Sense of Entitlement
Andrew Romano
July 18, 2014
At first it was irritating, but then it became fascinating and finally fun to see.
I Was Way Too Old for Z100’s Jingle Ball Concert. But I Couldn’t Have Had More Fun.
Kevin Fallon
December 14, 2013
Both characters manage to spin what could be irritating quirks into identifiable character traits.
The Best TV Shows of 2013: ‘Orange Is the New Black,’ ‘Breaking Bad’ and More
Kevin Fallon
December 13, 2013

Historical Examples of irritating

It would be irritating, if you didn't secretly feel the same yourself.
It Happened in Egypt
C. N. Williamson
But he had previously seen her so pained that he felt afraid of irritating her again.
His Masterpiece
Emile Zola
I bore his horrible humors, his mad, irritating, capricious temper.
Melomaniacs
James Huneker
Her system of espial is even more minute and irritating than that of Russia.
The Destroyer
Burton Egbert Stevenson
This was an irritating fact, but being 131 a fact had to be accepted.
The Wall Street Girl
Frederick Orin Bartlett

British Dictionary definitions for irritating

irritate

verb

to annoy or anger (someone)

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

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

Derived Formsirritator, noun

Word Origin for irritate

C16: from Latin irrītāre to provoke, exasperate

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

Word Origin and History for irritating

irritate

1530s, "stimulate to action, rouse, incite," from Latin irritatus, past participle of irritare "excite, provoke." An earlier verb form was irrite (mid-15c.), from Old French irriter. Meaning "annoy, make impatient" is from 1590s. Related: Irritated; irritating.