irritability

[ ir-i-tuh-bil-i-tee ]

noun

, plural ir·ri·ta·bil·i·ties.

1. the quality or state of being irritable.
2. Physiology, Biology. the ability to be excited to a characteristic action or function by the application of some stimulus:

   Protoplasm displays irritability by responding to heat.

Other Words From

• nonir·ri·ta·bili·ty noun
• super·irri·ta·bili·ty noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of irritability¹

From the Latin word irrītābilitās, dating back to 1745–55. See irritable, -ity

Example Sentences

David Dunning, a psychology professor at the University of Michigan, suggests anyone who’s struggling with negative mental health impacts related to the election — such as anxiety, irritability or excessive rumination — take a break from election-related media and activities.

From Los Angeles Times

Her mood “swept from deep private despair to manic irritability to frenetic highs of ceaseless activity,” Laurence Leamer wrote in the 1994 biography “The Kennedy Women.”

From Los Angeles Times

Symptoms of the condition include irritability, making death threats to complete strangers, screaming at relatives, arguing with mirrors, excessive weight gain, poor hygiene and mental confusion.

From Salon

"The lack of sleep, irritability, brain fog - she'd be awake for hours in the night, hot sweats every single day. Everything was becoming difficult."

From BBC

On the flip side, feeling "hangry" – the phenomenon where hunger manifests in the form of anger or irritability – illustrates how what we eat, or don't eat, can also provoke negative emotions.

From Salon

Related Words

• irritation