irritant

[ ir-i-tnt ]

adjective

1. tending to cause irritation; irritating. irritating.

noun

1. anything that irritates.
2. Physiology, Pathology. a biological, chemical, or physical agent that stimulates a characteristic function or elicits a response, especially an inflammatory response.

irritant

/ ˈɪrɪtənt /

adjective

1. causing irritation; irritating

noun

1. something irritant

Derived Forms

• ˈirritancy, noun

Other Words From

• irri·tan·cy noun
• non·irri·tan·cy noun
• non·irri·tant adjective
• un·irri·tant adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of irritant¹

1630–40; < Latin irrītant- (stem of irrītāns ), present participle of irrītāre to irritate; -ant

Example Sentences

Public debate about the massacre has long been an irritant for South Korean conservatives, who have at times sought to downplay the government’s role or promoted conspiracy theories that the protests were an act of North Korean subterfuge.

From Los Angeles Times

And Trump left some Western leaders nonplussed when he offered up Hungary’s Viktor Orban — who has worked systematically to undermine his own country’s democracy and is a major irritant to almost every other member of the EU — as a character reference.

From Los Angeles Times

While Hasina’s stay in India remains an irritant, a recent interview by Bangladesh’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus also took India by surprise.

From BBC

Protesters, meanwhile, accused officers of being heavy-handed - using flashbang grenades and irritant sprays to control the crowds.

From BBC

By contrast, protestors said officers were heavy-handed and responded with flashbang grenades and irritant sprays to control the hostile crowd.

From BBC