Definition of IRASCIBLE

Other Words from irascible

irascibility \ i-ˌra-sə-ˈbi-lə-tē

\ noun

irascibleness \ i-ˈra-sə-bəl-nəs

\ noun

irascibly \ i-ˈra-sə-blē

\ adverb

Irascible Has an Angry History

If you try to take apart "irascible" in the same manner as "irrational," "irresistible," or "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 negative prefix ir- (which is used before words that begin with "r"), but 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"), which led to French irascible. English speakers borrowed the word from French in the 16th century.

Examples of irascible in a Sentence

an irascible old football coach He has an irascible disposition.

Recent Examples on the Web

But in the meantime, an extraordinary pair of notes from Democratic and Republican senators, and an irascible op-ed, have lengthened the justices’ reading list. — S.m. | New York, The Economist, "The Supreme Court mulls whether to ditch a gun-rights case," 11 Sep. 2019 David Simon, an irascible former journalist and television writer from Baltimore, famously does not follow this rule. — Eli Rosenberg, Washington Post, "David Simon called Trump a ‘race-hating fraud,’ then opened a firehose of profanity at the trolls," 29 July 2019 Unfortunately, as played by Aussie actor Andrew Steel, Shankwitz too often comes off as an irascible, cowboyish boozer who needs a crash course in chivalry. — Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times, "Review: Heartfelt ‘Wish Man’ dramatizes origins of the Make-A-Wish Foundation," 25 July 2019 As divided as Northern Ireland was and is, one thing unites it: an irascible unwillingness to be looked down upon by our neighbors across the Irish Sea. — Eamon Lynch, azcentral, "Open Championship at Portrush may be the only thing Northern Ireland can agree on," 15 July 2019 The subsequent hearing attracted national attention, with reporters cramming into the Brattleboro town hall, and, in the opinion of most, the jokey, convivial local fellow came off far better than the stuffy, irascible Englishman. — Charles Mcgrath, The New Yorker, "Rudyard Kipling in America," 1 July 2019 Jackson’s version of John Shaft was already distinct from Roundtree’s — more irascible, less smooth, more Jackson-y. — Jesse Hassenger, The Verge, "Men in Black: International and Shaft show the limits of modern film franchises," 21 June 2019 Opinionated, irascible Get Offa My Lawn Guy never needed a microphone. — Paul Daugherty, Cincinnati.com, "Doc: Our fathers are always with us, a part of who we are," 15 June 2019 As his literary stature grew, so did his reputation as a difficult, irascible personality. — Sylvia Hui, Fox News, "Nobel Prize-winning author V.S. Naipaul dies at 85," 11 Aug. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'irascible.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.