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
The coach of the team, Tarrant, an irascible, former Marine, allowed outsiders to come watch practice.
—
Joe Vardon, New York Times, 11 May 2026
Their first conversation is comically lopsided, and McKellen, purring his way through what is effectively a monologue, lays the groundwork for his most vividly inhabited and hilariously irascible performance in years.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 3 Apr. 2026
Antonia has also wound up with her family, including her grandmother, an irascible old woman who is both Antonia’s role model and perhaps chief antagonist.
—John Warner, Chicago Tribune, 21 Mar. 2026
Under David Ellenstein’s direction, the production stars North Coast Rep veteran James Sutorius as the fading but humorously irascible Steven.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for irascible
Joe Vardon, New York Times, 11 May 2026
Their first conversation is comically lopsided, and McKellen, purring his way through what is effectively a monologue, lays the groundwork for his most vividly inhabited and hilariously irascible performance in years.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 3 Apr. 2026
Antonia has also wound up with her family, including her grandmother, an irascible old woman who is both Antonia’s role model and perhaps chief antagonist.
—John Warner, Chicago Tribune, 21 Mar. 2026
Under David Ellenstein’s direction, the production stars North Coast Rep veteran James Sutorius as the fading but humorously irascible Steven.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for irascible
Recent Examples of Synonyms for irascible
Adjective
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But Maguire, now 43, became sad and irritable, and didn’t want to be around his newborn.—
Keith Wagstaff,
Los Angeles Times,
10 June 2026
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Additionally, Owens' youngest child, Titus, who was just a toddler when his mother died, was confused, irritable and inconsolable in the weeks after her death, Dias shared.—
Lynsey Eidell,
PEOPLE,
2 June 2026
Adjective
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Video of the crash shared with the Statesman showed the airplanes colliding, spinning together and crashing to the ground in a fiery explosion.—
Nicole Blanchard,
Idaho Statesman,
11 June 2026
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During his interview with The New York Times after his ouster, Pelley provided some context for his fiery statements directed at Bilton during that tumultuous all-hands meeting.—
Marlow Stern,
Variety,
11 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Irascible.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/irascible. Accessed 13 Jun. 2026.
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