irritating
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of irritating
First recorded in 1700–10; irritat(e) + -ing 2
Explanation
If something's irritating, it annoys you. To most people, tuneless whistling and fingernails on a chalkboard are both irritating sounds. Irritating things bug you. A little kid kicking the back of your seat on an airplane, a driver who follows you too closely on the highway, an early morning work crew right outside your bedroom window — all of these things can be irritating. A more physical way for something to be irritating is if it causes irritation — like a rash or soreness or pain. Your new watch may be irritating to your skin, leaving a red mark on your wrist.
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.
Tinnitus can range from mildly irritating to severely distressing.
From Science Daily • May 15, 2026
Some have praised the UK for taking a risk, others find it irritating.
From BBC • May 8, 2026
This trip to Brooklyn, and the other trips, were a little less irritating, though.
From Barron's • May 3, 2026
Underwater speakers blasting irritating sounds, and a curtain of air bubbles, would also deter the carp.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026
It was irritating and frightening all at once, for she sensed that this presence was not benevolent.
From "Huntress" by Malinda Lo
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.
