Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Easily irritated or annoyed.
  • adjective Medicine Abnormally or excessively sensitive to a stimulus.
  • adjective Capable of responding to a stimulus. Used of an organism.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Susceptible to mental irritation; liable to the excitement of anger or passion; irascible; petulant.
  • Susceptible to physical irritation; capable of being stimulated to action by external agency; liable to contract, shrink, become inflamed, etc., when excited or stimulated: as, irritable nerves; an irritable wound.
  • Specifically, in physiology and botany, possessing the property of irritability.
  • Responding quickly to a stimulus; sensitive; impressible.
  • Synonyms Passionate, etc. (see irascible); fretful, peevish.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Capable of being irritated.
  • adjective Very susceptible of anger or passion; easily inflamed or exasperated.
  • adjective (Physiol.) Endowed with irritability; susceptible of irritation; capable of being excited to action by the application of certain stimuli.
  • adjective (Med.) Susceptible of irritation; unduly sensitive to irritants or stimuli. See Irritation, n., 3.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Capable of being irritated.
  • adjective Easily exasperated or excited.
  • adjective Responsive to stimuli.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective capable of responding to stimuli
  • adjective easily irritated or annoyed
  • adjective abnormally sensitive to a stimulus

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[French irritable, from Latin irrītābilis, from irrītāre, to irritate.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

irritate +‎ -able

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word irritable.

Examples

  • The song had ceased from his lips; but Mary was irritable from a burnt hand and a grandchild whose stomach refused to digest properly diluted cows 'milk.

    LIKE ARGUS OF THE ANCIENT TIMES 2010

  • Anne Crank: Diary of a Young Girl - increasingly irritable from the combination of cabin fever and puberty, Anne begins to write bitter rants against those who share the attic with her.

    Archive 2007-02-01 kittenpie 2007

  • Anne Crank: Diary of a Young Girl - increasingly irritable from the combination of cabin fever and puberty, Anne begins to write bitter rants against those who share the attic with her.

    Games are Afoot, Part II - Play On! kittenpie 2007

  • Yet people are quick to label irritable or angry people as “bad children” or “bad people.”

    Black Pain Terrie M. Williams 2008

  • Yet people are quick to label irritable or angry people as “bad children” or “bad people.”

    Black Pain Terrie M. Williams 2008

  • Yet people are quick to label irritable or angry people as “bad children” or “bad people.”

    Black Pain Terrie M. Williams 2008

  • Yet people are quick to label irritable or angry people as “bad children” or “bad people.”

    Black Pain Terrie M. Williams 2008

  • It buzzed in short, irritable circles before settling back to its feeding spot.

    Dragonfly in Amber Gabaldon, Diana 1992

  • The song had ceased from his lips; but Mary was irritable from a burnt hand and a grandchild whose stomach refused to digest properly diluted cows 'milk.

    Like Argus of the Ancient Times 1918

  • French teacher, loving children, wanting in dignity, broken in English, irritable in disposition; a sensitive young stranger, fresh from home, charming in innocence, sad with thoughts of a dear mother; a poor, frightened kitten, are all objects for boys 'cruelty to gloat over.

    Captain Mugford Our Salt and Fresh Water Tutors William Henry Giles Kingston 1847

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.