irritating

American  

[ir-i-tey-ting] / ˈɪr ɪˌteɪ tɪŋ /

adjective

1. causing irritation; annoying; provoking;

   irritating questions.

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Other Word Forms

• irritatingly
  adverb
• nonirritating
  adjective
• unirritating
  adjective

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

This trip to Brooklyn, and the other trips, were a little less irritating, though.

From Barron's • May 3, 2026

And no matter how irritating it may be to hear, “Sounds like somebody’s got a case of the Mondays” feels better than “Buck up and do your damn job.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 30, 2026

As characters, they may be flamboyant and/or ironic in a way often denied to the central investigators, whom they are likely to find a little irritating.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 10, 2026

Then the pastor made good on his promise to deliver satire with a bit where, in response to a burst of irritating feedback, he heads to the control room.

From Salon • Feb. 22, 2026

That was why, that afternoon I was reading Daniel Deronda on the grass and Ruth was being irritating, I decided it was time someone pointed it out to her.

From "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro

Related Words

• annoying
• bothersome
• disturbing