irritant

1 of 2

noun

ir·ri·tant ˈir-ə-tənt

Synonyms of irritant next

: something that irritates or excites

irritant

2 of 2

adjective

: causing irritation

specifically : tending to produce physical irritation

Example Sentences

Noun dust and other lung irritants The delay was a minor irritant.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

With commercially cultured pearls, an external irritant is manually inserted in the mollusk to produce nacre and subsequently, the pearl. —

Mythili Devarakonda, USA TODAY, 25 Dec. 2022 Burning natural gas releases nitrogen dioxide, a respiratory irritant. —

Lisa Song, ProPublica, 23 Jan. 2023 Studies have shown the compound is a respiratory irritant that can trigger asthma attacks, Levy said. —

Amanda Pérez Pintado, USA TODAY, 12 Jan. 2023 That may be a reflection of the growing political and economic separation between China and the West over the past couple of years — with COVID an additional irritant. —

Patrick Frater, Variety, 9 Sep. 2022 As the name implies, this condition occurs when an irritant of some sort comes into contact with the skin and creates inflammation. —

Sara Coughlin, SELF, 29 Mar. 2022 President Biden this week dispatched a delegation of former defense officials to Taiwan to demonstrate American support for the island, a major irritant for Beijing. —

The Editorial Board, WSJ, 3 Mar. 2022 Covid is expected to fade from an emergency into a chronic irritant. —

Washington Post, 23 Jan. 2022 Essentially, the temperature and humidity changes (which can affect your skin's moisture content) and excessive plant pollen (which is an environmental irritant) create the perfect conditions for atopic dermatitis to strike. —

Jessie Van Amburg, Health.com, 30 Nov. 2021

Adjective

At least one officer appeared to have been hit with a chemical irritant when it was sprayed at Nichols during the initial encounter. —

Antonio Planas, NBC News, 30 Jan. 2023 The insurrection left four people dead, and police officer Brian D. Sicknick, who had been sprayed with a powerful chemical irritant, had two strokes and died the next day. —

Bill Bowden, Arkansas Online, 28 Dec. 2022 The video showed her glancing over at her colleague, officer Brian D. Sicknick, who had apparently been sprayed in the face with an irritant. —

Tom Jackman, Washington Post, 10 June 2022 The former Marine is accused of spraying Capitol police with a chemical irritant. —

Dallas News, 6 Jan. 2022 Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick collapsed and died after rioters sprayed him with a chemical irritant. —

BostonGlobe.com, 11 Nov. 2021 Bodycam and surveillance video reviewed by CBS News and pictures included in court documents show Sicknick reacting to an irritant, recoiling, and clearing the area to wipe his eyes and clean his face. —

Robert Legare, CBS News, 27 Jan. 2023 Dust proved to be a major irritant to astronauts on the moon. —

Joshua Rapp Learn, Discover Magazine, 3 Sep. 2021 In fact, McCarthy may be the source of another frequent irritant: the evaporation of quotation marks. —

Ron Charles, Washington Post, 8 Feb. 2023 See More

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