as in headache
something that is a source of irritation
the whining child was a constant irritant to his long-suffering parents
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of irritant
The damaged lung tissue associated with COPD is most often caused by long-term exposure to irritants, such as fumes, dust, chemicals or smoke.
—
Charles Trepany, USA Today, 10 June 2025
Four Austin police officers were injured and authorities used chemical irritants to disperse a crowd of several hundred demonstrators who made their way to the J.J. Pickle Federal Building, which houses an ICE office.
—CBS News, 10 June 2025
Avoid irritants: Limit your nails' exposure to water, chemicals, and allergens.
—Brandi Jones, Health, 7 June 2025
Exposure to these irritants can lead to symptoms such as congestion, itchy eyes and even severe asthma attacks, illustrating the importance of proper allergen management and mitigation strategies.
—Sissi Liu, Forbes.com, 23 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for irritant
Charles Trepany, USA Today, 10 June 2025
Four Austin police officers were injured and authorities used chemical irritants to disperse a crowd of several hundred demonstrators who made their way to the J.J. Pickle Federal Building, which houses an ICE office.
—CBS News, 10 June 2025
Avoid irritants: Limit your nails' exposure to water, chemicals, and allergens.
—Brandi Jones, Health, 7 June 2025
Exposure to these irritants can lead to symptoms such as congestion, itchy eyes and even severe asthma attacks, illustrating the importance of proper allergen management and mitigation strategies.
—Sissi Liu, Forbes.com, 23 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for irritant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for irritant
Noun
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The variant has similar symptoms to other strains, including fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, sore throat, congestion or a runny nose, new loss of taste or smell, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, nausea or vomiting.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
28 June 2025
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These included headaches, hand pain, forearm pain, nerve damage in his left elbow, fatigue, decreased stamina and erectile dysfunction, according to the lawsuit.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
27 June 2025
Noun
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An American Werewolf in London' (1981) American dudes backpacking in England get attacked by a werewolf, one of them becomes a beastly nuisance on the full moon, and things get bloody freaky in old London Town.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
14 June 2025
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In the longer term, the City Council would do well to reconsider enacting a city nuisance ordinance that would punish anyone rioting, looting, obstructing the public way, disrupting traffic, physically assaulting a police officer or even publicly calling for such behavior.—
Paul Vallas,
Chicago Tribune,
11 June 2025
Noun
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The injunctions have been a thorn in the side of administrations from both parties, with aggrieved parties often filing in specific, favorable courts that would then issue nationwide stays on presidential orders.—
Peter Aitken
Hannah Parry,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 June 2025
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For nearly half a century, Iran has been a thorn in the side of the world, killing and maiming American soldiers, butchering Israeli citizens, threatening its neighbors and fostering terror around the world.—
Chris Roemer,
Baltimore Sun,
26 June 2025
Noun
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The briefings were initially planned for earlier in the week but were postponed, to the frustration of the delegation.—
Lisa Hagen,
Hartford Courant,
28 June 2025
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And after Thursday's loss to the Astros, Kepler vented some frustrations about that managerial decision.—
Peter Chawaga,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 June 2025
Noun
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Some of those annoyances include busier streets, increased housing prices and tourist traffic.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
18 June 2025
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But investors’ annoyance over his answers pointed to Walgreens’ much deeper problems.—
Phil Wahba,
Fortune,
17 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Irritant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/irritant. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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