irritation
Americannoun
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irritations
plural
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the act of irritating or the state of being irritated.
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something that irritates.
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Physiology, Pathology.
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the bringing of a bodily part or organ to an abnormally excited or sensitive condition.
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the condition itself.
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noun
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something that irritates
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the act of irritating or the condition of being irritated
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of irritation
First recorded in 1580–90, irritation is from the Latin word irrītātiōn- (stem of irrītātiō ). See irritate, -ion
Explanation
An irritation is a situation or action that annoys someone — emotionally or physically. Your off-key singing in the car might be an irritation to the driver, or that poison ivy could be an irritation as well. It's an irritation when you're bothering someone else, and it's also irritation when you're the one feeling irked: "My irritation increased the longer the train sat there, unmoving, with no explanation." The earliest meaning of this word was more physical, a "sore or swollen spot," from the Latin root word irritare, "excite or provoke."
Vocabulary lists containing irritation
That Hurts! Synonyms for "Pain"
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The Sound and the Fury: Synonyms for "Anger"
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Unit 5, Week 1
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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.
See Examples For:
Almost since its 1882 inception—Gaudí inherited the project a year later from the neo-Gothically inclined Francisco de Paula del Villar—the world’s longest-running construction project has been an object of irritation, admiration and parody.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
The bloom was also linked to physical health problems including respiratory irritation and asthma.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 11, 2026
"Most of the species found in Scotland have very mild stings, which only cause minor irritation, and some are completely harmless," she said.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
To this point, Roberts said, Ohtani has experienced the irritation only on the mound, not at bat.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2026
I see a flash of irritation on Jonesy’s face.
From "Popcorn" by Rob Harrell
Smishing has become one of those quotidian irritations of modern life, and for some people, baiting the sender can feel like a tiny act of revenge—or just an opportunity for amusement.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026
And Déby knows well that this gives him leverage in managing his own irritations in relations with Washington and Paris.
From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2024
Each seemingly simple task is not just saddled with procedural irritations — forms to fill out, appointments to attend, banal questions to answer — but with fear.
From New York Times ● Apr. 25, 2024
If we don’t, we will — given enough time, irritations, and the wrong figure asking us how we’re doing at the right moment.
From Salon ● Feb. 9, 2024
You are, as they say, stuck with it and have leisure to feel all its peculiar irritations and discomforts.
From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams
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.
