irritating

[ ir-i-tey-ting ]

adjective

1. causing irritation; annoying; provoking;

   irritating questions.

Other Words From

• irri·tating·ly adverb
• non·irri·tating adjective
• un·irri·tating adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of irritating¹

First recorded in 1700–10; irritat(e) + -ing ²

Example Sentences

The dishonesty of this response is irritating, of course.

From Salon

“I said, ‘Ryan talked to me and I guess he’s cool, it’s fine,’ and she was like, ‘It’s bad,’ trying to make me scared or something, which was a little irritating.”

From Los Angeles Times

“These Dodgers fans are really irritating. After the game is over, they come order pizza. They place their order and then say, ‘I didn’t order that.’

From Los Angeles Times

A mild Santa Ana wind can be irritating, giving people nosebleeds and blowing sand in their eyes, but the more severe events can have deadly consequences.

From Los Angeles Times

In that Howard Stern biopic, Stern is driven to greater and greater heights of bad behavior by his irritating station manager Pig Vomit, played by Paul Giamatti.

From Slate

Related Words

• annoying
• bothersome
• disturbing