irritated 1 of 2

adjective

ˈir-ə-ˌtā-təd How to pronounce irritated (audio)
Definition of irritatednext
as in annoyed
subjected to and reacting with irritation irritated viewers were bombarding the station with complaints about the game's delayed start

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

irritated

2 of 2

verb

past tense of irritate
1
as in bothered
to disturb the peace of mind of (someone) especially by repeated disagreeable acts constant chatter irritated the student, who was trying to concentrate on a hard assignment

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in scratched
to make sore by continued rubbing new shoes usually irritate my feet

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of irritated
Adjective
By the second day, the novelty wears off, and the two teams can get irritated at each other. — Zach Berman, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026 According to Moffitt Cancer Center, basal cell carcinomas sometimes surface as small patches of irritated skin that get dismissed as dryness, or as open, bloody sores that resemble a bad sunburn. — Hanna Wickes, Sacbee.com, 17 Aug. 2026
Verb
Armenia’s pivot to the West has irritated the Kremlin, however. — Nathan Hodge, CNN Money, 8 June 2026 Even though the calf irritated him over the weekend, the ankle is still the primary problem. — Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 27 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for irritated
Recent Examples of Synonyms for irritated
  1. annoyed
  2. bothered
  3. scratched
  4. exasperated
  5. bugged
  6. scraped
  7. angry
  8. persecuted
Adjective
  • Issa acts on that notion by encouraging a threesome between herself, Paul Baker, and Anton, who has spent much of the episode getting increasingly annoyed about being left out of everyone else’s scheming.
    — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Long enough for the audience to feel annoyed and become squeamish.
    — Alex Jovanovich, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of annoyed
Verb
  • But Covid-19 layoffs aside, the San Francisco company hasn’t bothered to tidy up along the way, its chief executive says.
    — Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Never even bothered to deny any of the accusations that would eventually lead to Wednesday’s stunning NBA ruling against the LA Clippers in this landmark salary cap circumvention case.
    — Sam Amick, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of bothered
Verb
  • Based on a photo shared by the fan, the star appeared to have been scratched.
    — Christina Dugan Ramirez, FOXNews.com, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Dolly Parton’s Hollywood Walk of Fame star was scratched days after the country singer died.
    — Marina Watts, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of scratched
Adjective
  • John Stewart’s exasperated adieu to his alien abductors doubles as a meta acknowledgement of Episode 2’s exposition-heavy plotting.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 23 Aug. 2026
  • These were voices—complaining, confiding, exasperated, distressed—that had not been heard before, as if the novel were a speaking tube cued to an underground rumble.
    — Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of exasperated
Verb
  • The indictment revealed that prosecutors had bugged the Aisenbergs' home for three months after Sabrina's disappearance.
    — Curran Rastogi, ABC News, 10 Aug. 2026
  • The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine, a law-enforcement agency known as NABU, had bugged Mindich’s apartment in Kyiv, and detectives picked up his conversations about Fire Point.
    — Simon Shuster, The Atlantic, 17 July 2026
Definition of bugged
Verb
  • For months, layer after layer of paint and grime were scraped away from the original wood and brick to reveal traces of different eras in the building's history.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 5 Sep. 2026
  • The letter calls for the museum to release the full list of artworks scraped for the Beeple piece.
    — Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of scraped
Adjective
  • Much of the work is also focused on building guardrails to protect clients from lawsuits — coming from business partners, local officials, or angry neighbors — in an industry that has an increasingly visible target on its back.
    — Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Though nothing about the current situation is ideal, there’s no clear way to hop off without ensuring certain doom at the hands of a large, angry cat.
    — Joe Wilkins, Futurism, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of angry
Verb
  • Many see Trump as the only president to defend Nigerian Christians; his administration claims they are being persecuted by Islamist groups.
    — Harriet Marsden, TheWeek, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Fernanda risked her life not only to protect works of art during the war, but also to help politically persecuted people escape the Fascist regime.
    — Roberto Prieto, Variety, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of persecuted

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Cite this Entry

“Irritated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/irritated. Accessed 9 Sep. 2026.

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