irritating

[ir-i-tey-ting]

adjective

1. causing irritation; annoying; provoking;

   irritating questions.

Other Word Forms

• irritatingly adverb
• nonirritating adjective
• unirritating adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of irritating¹

First recorded in 1700–10; irritat(e) + -ing ²

Example Sentences

Woo backflips into the water with irritating grace, still holding the dashiki as he plunges downward.

Read more on Literature

“I think this milkshake is irritating my throat,” he said.

Read more on Literature

The actor recalls people in Hollywood finding his desire to do highly varied roles “irritating” when he was younger.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Failing to pass the package risks irritating Musk, which would introduce unnecessary uncertainty into the stock.

Read more on Barron's

Sly, wry, adorable and deplorable, Guillaume Marbeck is priceless as the endlessly irritating and yet frustratingly charismatic Godard in one of the year’s brightest pictures, a rare standout in a sea of multiplex mediocrity.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• annoying 
• bothersome 
• disturbing