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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
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
After his twin brother dies, Roman (Dylan O’Brien), an irascible young man living in Portland, becomes emotionally unmoored.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Jan. 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 4 May. 2025.
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