irritable

[ ir-i-tuh-buhl ]

adjective

1. easily irritated or annoyed; readily excited to impatience or anger.

   Synonyms: resentful, petulant, snappish

2. Physiology, Biology. displaying irritability.
3. Pathology. susceptible to physical irritation.
4. Medicine/Medical. abnormally sensitive to a stimulus.

irritable

/ ˈɪrɪtəbəl /

adjective

1. quickly irritated; easily annoyed; peevish
2. (of all living organisms) capable of responding to such stimuli as heat, light, and touch
3. pathol abnormally sensitive

Derived Forms

• ˈirritably, adverb
• ˌirritaˈbility, noun
• ˈirritableness, noun

Other Words From

• irri·ta·ble·ness noun
• irri·ta·bly adverb
• non·irri·ta·ble adjective
• non·irri·ta·ble·ness noun
• non·irri·ta·bly adverb
• un·irri·ta·ble adjective
• un·irri·ta·bly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of irritable¹

First recorded in 1655–65; from Latin irrītābilis, equivalent to irrītā(re) “to irritate ” + -bilis -ble

Synonym Study

Irritable, testy, touchy, irascible are adjectives meaning easily upset, offended, or angered. Irritable means easily annoyed or bothered, and it implies cross and snappish behavior: an irritable clerk, rude and hostile; Impatient and irritable, he was constantly complaining. Testy describes the same kind of behavior or response, particularly to minor annoyances: always on edge, testy and sharp in response; testy and petulant, resenting any interruption. Touchy emphasizes oversensitivity and readiness to take offense, even when none is intended: especially touchy about any reference to obesity. Irascible means habitually angry or easily aroused to anger: an irascible tyrant, roaring at employees for the slightest error.

Example Sentences

It works by reducing cravings for nicotine and blocking its effect on the brain, while also helping with withdrawal symptoms, such as feeling irritable or having difficulty sleeping.

From BBC

An irritable woman whose constant misery puts severe strain on those around her grapples with her depression as Mother's Day approaches.

From BBC

He has impressed with the way he dissects football and thinks about the game, but also sometimes comes off as easily irritable.

From BBC

Hard Truths, about an irritable woman whose constant misery puts severe strain on those around her, premiered at the London Film Festival on Monday evening.

From BBC

To qualify, a doctor had to determine that a patient was experiencing a “sad or irritable mood or loss of interest in activities” that caused “significant impairment in daily life.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• annoyed
• contentious
• exasperated
• fractious
• petulant
• prickly
• resentful
• surly
• testy