as in irritableness
readiness to show annoyance or impatience
the librarian's well-known irritability makes students hesitant to ask questions
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Recent Examples of irritability
Holly Sleppy, a 52-year-old who works at Virtua, shared her frustrations, which many menopausal women are feeling because of a shortage of the estrogen patches used to treat symptoms like hot flashes, irritability and brain fog.
—
Stephanie Stahl, CBS News, 18 Feb. 2026
Even mild dehydration can lead to headaches, dry skin, dizziness, lower alertness, poor attention, irritability, and fatigue.
—Merve Ceylan, Health, 17 Feb. 2026
Mary does nothing to hide her irritability with him, something Metcalf conveys to perfection.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 13 Feb. 2026
Effects on Mood A lack of restorative sleep due to untreated OSA can have an impact on your mood and emotions, and may cause feelings of depression, anxiety, and irritability.
—Heidi Moawad, Verywell Health, 9 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for irritability
Stephanie Stahl, CBS News, 18 Feb. 2026
Even mild dehydration can lead to headaches, dry skin, dizziness, lower alertness, poor attention, irritability, and fatigue.
—Merve Ceylan, Health, 17 Feb. 2026
Mary does nothing to hide her irritability with him, something Metcalf conveys to perfection.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 13 Feb. 2026
Effects on Mood A lack of restorative sleep due to untreated OSA can have an impact on your mood and emotions, and may cause feelings of depression, anxiety, and irritability.
—Heidi Moawad, Verywell Health, 9 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for irritability
Recent Examples of Synonyms for irritability
Noun
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His aggression led to him getting six attempts at the free-throw line.—
Dan Rios,
Daily News,
6 Mar. 2026
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Smog-forming emissions can interfere with insect communication by breaking down pheromones, causing ant colonies to exhibit aggression toward their own members and neglect their larvae.—
Tony Briscoe,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Jokic became wrapped up in how it was officiated throughout the night, letting Utah’s aggressiveness get to him at times instead of playing through it and imposing his own physicality.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
3 Mar. 2026
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In the final, Nidelea-Polanin mounted a tactically sharp and defensive-oriented approach that nullified the usual aggressiveness of Gochis.—
Patrick Z. McGavin,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The incident sparked a firestorm of anger, much focussed on the BBC for not removing Davidson’s tic from its broadcast.—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
6 Mar. 2026
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The North Austin school district is the latest in Texas contending with declining enrollment and fiscal challenges to discuss closing campuses, a strategy that’s led to community heartache and anger from families.—
Keri Heath,
Austin American Statesman,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Poor sleep leads to more than just crankiness A cranky kid after a bad night’s sleep is bad enough.—
Avery Newmark,
AJC.com,
10 Mar. 2026
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And remember, most Californians are running on an hour less sleep today, so drive a little slower and blame your crankiness on the time change.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Adding to the turbulence is Korea's sensitivity to energy prices.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
6 Mar. 2026
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Shaynak was impressed with the sensitivity of Sachs’s final script.—
Marah Eakin,
Vulture,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Vince Gilligan moved to Apple and returned to his X-Files roots for the sci-fi horror dramatic comedy Pluribus, which used its ultra-mysterious and yet ultra-familiar genre trappings for a droll meditation on the eternal clash between collective joy and individual grouchiness.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
17 Nov. 2025
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Emily is also struggling with Annabelle, who has inherited her mom’s attitude and the grouchiness of any adolescent forced to grow up with an Evolution Media camera crew in her home.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Warren deserves kudos for bucking the trend of petulance exhibited by too many Democrats that night.—
Boston Herald editorial staff,
Boston Herald,
26 Feb. 2026
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Florida has had enough of pettiness, politic stunts and petulance.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
14 Jan. 2026
Noun
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So far, however, there is no sign of hostilities easing.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
10 Mar. 2026
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Aluminum hit the highest in almost four years before erasing gains, as escalating hostilities in the Middle East worsened the supply outlook from the region, while copper and other industrial metals fell on falling risk appetite.—
Bloomberg News,
Bloomberg,
9 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Irritability.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/irritability. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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