as in irritable
easily irritated or annoyed
forced to endure a memorably irascible boss on her first job after college
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Recent Examples of irascible
In Fawlty Towers, Scales played the irascible and long-suffering Sybil Fawlty, who was often angered by the bumbling incompetence of husband and hotel manager Basil, played by Cleese.
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Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 28 Oct. 2025
If the lead-up to Benfica’s visit, and even the game itself, had the feel of a reunion at times, there were still flashes of the irascible Mourinho of old.
—Stuart James, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
Julia is playing a version of herself that is more irascible.
—Thr Staff, HollywoodReporter, 25 Sep. 2025
Eventually, Kaplan, now 80, and co-creator Alan Sacks decided that Kaplan should play a former student who returns to his high school as a teacher, who’s now in charge of a remedial class of irascible teens.
—Victoria Edel, PEOPLE, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for irascible
Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 28 Oct. 2025
If the lead-up to Benfica’s visit, and even the game itself, had the feel of a reunion at times, there were still flashes of the irascible Mourinho of old.
—Stuart James, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
Julia is playing a version of herself that is more irascible.
—Thr Staff, HollywoodReporter, 25 Sep. 2025
Eventually, Kaplan, now 80, and co-creator Alan Sacks decided that Kaplan should play a former student who returns to his high school as a teacher, who’s now in charge of a remedial class of irascible teens.
—Victoria Edel, PEOPLE, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for irascible
Recent Examples of Synonyms for irascible
Adjective
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Most cases clear up on their own without complications, but parents should contact a doctor if a child cannot keep fluids down, has a high fever lasting more than a few days or seems unusually drowsy or irritable.—
Katia Hetter,
CNN Money,
29 Oct. 2025
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Also known as irritable hip, the condition is due to inflammation of the hip joint lining.—
Emily Blackwood,
PEOPLE,
26 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Search for answers continues following UPS plane crash As the community in Louisville, Kentucky, mourns those killed in a fiery United Parcel Service cargo plane crash, authorities warned that answers for family members may still be a way off.—
Jane Onyanga-Omara,
USA Today,
7 Nov. 2025
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But while Christy flaunts a fiery persona in the ring, her toughest battles unfold outside it, confronting family, identity, and a relationship that becomes life-or-death.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
7 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Irascible.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/irascible. Accessed 13 Nov. 2025.
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