irritate

verb ir·ri·tate \ ˈir-ə-ˌtāt \

|Updated on: 14 Aug 2018

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Examples: irritate in a Sentence

Definition of irritate

irritated; irritating

transitive verb

1 : to provoke impatience, anger, or displeasure in : annoy

2 : to induce irritability in or of

intransitive verb

: to cause or induce displeasure or irritation

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Examples of irritate in a Sentence

It's his arrogance that really irritates me.
The other passengers were irritated by the child's rudeness.
Harsh soaps can irritate the skin.

Recent Examples of irritate from the Web

This leaves your skin vulnerable to things that can irritate it and trigger an immune response that causes eczema symptoms.

— korin miller, SELF, "What Causes Eczema, Anyway?," 13 July 2018
Salvini's campaign-style rhetoric clearly was irritating other members of the League-5-Star Movement alliance governing Italy.

— nicole winfield, Fox News, "EU: Italy complaints about EU navy mission can be discussed," 10 July 2018
Salvini’s campaign-style rhetoric clearly was irritating other members of the League-5-Star Movement alliance governing Italy.

— Washington Post, "EU: Italy complaints about EU navy mission can be discussed," 9 July 2018
Salvini’s campaign-style rhetoric clearly was irritating other members of the League-5-Star Movement alliance governing Italy.

— nicole winfield, The Seattle Times, "EU: Italy complaints about EU navy mission can be discussed," 9 July 2018
Though there are oils that are less likely to irritate, like marula and argan, your unique genetic skin makeup will determine your oil tolerance.

— ashley weatherford, The Cut, "Everything You Need to Know About Putting Oils on Your Face," 12 July 2018
And that means finding a formula that’s bland, bland, bland, with absolutely zero essential oils—like lavender, peppermint, and rose—which tend to only irritate sensitive skin.

— chloe metzger, Marie Claire, "The Best Face Oil for Every Single Skin Type," 11 July 2018
At one point, one of the protesters got into an argument with a building resident who appeared to be irritated with the protesters.

— merdie nzanga, USA TODAY, "Stephen Miller's D.C. home a target of immigration policy protest," 25 June 2018
And 43,000 likes later, irritated neighbor Alison Ettel has morphed into the hashtag known as #PermitPatty, the latest Disney (-trip spoiling) villain.

— cleve r. wootson jr., OrlandoSentinel.com, "Woman threatens to call police on 8-year-old selling water for trip to Disneyland," 24 June 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of irritate

Latin irritatus, past participle of irritare

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1598

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

irritate Synonyms

Phrases

get one's goat, get on one's nerves, get to, rub the wrong way, set one's teeth on edge, stick in one's craw, wear on;

Synonym Discussion of irritate

irritate, exasperate, nettle, provoke, rile, peeve mean to excite a feeling of anger or annoyance. irritate implies an often gradual arousing of angry feelings that may range from mere impatience to rage.