If you try to take apart irascible on the model of irrational, irresistible, and irresponsible you might find yourself wondering what ascible means—but that's not how irascible came to be. The key to the meaning of irascible isn't the negating prefix ir- (which is the form of the prefix in- that is used before words beginning with "r"), but rather the Latin noun ira, meaning "anger." From ira, which is also the root of irate and ire, came the Latin verb irasci ("to become angry") and the related adjective irascibilis, the latter of which led to the French word irascible. English speakers borrowed the word from French in the 16th century.
an irascible old football coach
He has an irascible disposition.
Recent Examples on the WebThe Emmy-winning actor also portrayed an irascible talk show host in upstate New York on NBC’s Buffalo Bill, but that critical favorite lasted just 26 episodes.—Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 May 2024 The girls, for instance, love to pretend to be a couple of irascible grannies, usually causing trouble for the people around them, but occasionally proving helpful.—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 15 Apr. 2024 In the Apples Never Fall adaptation, based on the novel by Big Little Lies author Liane Moriarty, Bening plays Joy Delaney, family matriarch and patient wife to the irascible former tennis pro, Stan (Sam Neill).—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 Mar. 2024 For the irascible Greg, a column about grammar is a no-brainer.—Mary Norris, The New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2024 See all Example Sentences for irascible
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'irascible.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Middle French, from Late Latin irascibilis, from Latin irasci to become angry, be angry, from ira
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