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Irascible Has an Angry History
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.
Examples of irascible in a Sentence
Thomas Page, CNN Money, 24 May 2025
Seeing irascible old coots soften when in the presence of cherubic little nuggets gets me every time.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 20 May 2025
The setting is practically an Elizabethan skatepark, well suited to the clashes between Romeo’s and Juliet’s irascible relatives and excitable pals.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 29 Apr. 2025
Nottingham Forest, European champions in the two previous campaigns under the management of the irascible but brilliant Brian Clough, wanted to sign him — as did Liverpool.
—Tom Burrows, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for irascible
Cite this Entry
“Irascible.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/irascible. Accessed 28 May. 2025.
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