1
as in annoys
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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Recent Examples of irritates
Daisy is caught so off guard that her first reaction is to laugh, which irritates Ben.
—
Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 28 Apr. 2026
Castor Oil Castor oil irritates the digestive system of the moles and makes the soil less inviting to them.
—Nadia Hassani, The Spruce, 7 Mar. 2026
Weed pollen typically irritates people in the late summer and early fall.
—Seth Jacobson, wickedlocal.com, 5 Mar. 2026
If something irritates you, the Aries moon encourages you to speak up.
—Usa Today, USA Today, 21 Feb. 2026
There’s another distinctly New York habit that irritates Manville — at the end of the performances, theatergoers leap to their feat, not just to applaud, but to whip out their cellphones to record the curtain call.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 16 Jan. 2026
Somehow, this irritates Helen even more.
—Sadia Shepard, New Yorker, 11 Jan. 2026
His combative political persona irritates liberal critics.
—Niall Stanage, The Hill, 31 Dec. 2025
In other words, alcohol disrupts hydration, irritates the gut, inflames blood vessels, messes with sleep, and forces your liver into metabolic overdrive.
—Ciara Lucas, SELF, 30 Dec. 2025
Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 28 Apr. 2026
Castor Oil Castor oil irritates the digestive system of the moles and makes the soil less inviting to them.
—Nadia Hassani, The Spruce, 7 Mar. 2026
Weed pollen typically irritates people in the late summer and early fall.
—Seth Jacobson, wickedlocal.com, 5 Mar. 2026
If something irritates you, the Aries moon encourages you to speak up.
—Usa Today, USA Today, 21 Feb. 2026
There’s another distinctly New York habit that irritates Manville — at the end of the performances, theatergoers leap to their feat, not just to applaud, but to whip out their cellphones to record the curtain call.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 16 Jan. 2026
Somehow, this irritates Helen even more.
—Sadia Shepard, New Yorker, 11 Jan. 2026
His combative political persona irritates liberal critics.
—Niall Stanage, The Hill, 31 Dec. 2025
In other words, alcohol disrupts hydration, irritates the gut, inflames blood vessels, messes with sleep, and forces your liver into metabolic overdrive.
—Ciara Lucas, SELF, 30 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for irritates
Verb
-
What is the pettiest thing that annoys you during a race weekend?—
Jeff Gluck,
New York Times,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Or when Reggie purposefully annoys Arthur by having his son, Carmelo (Jalyn Hall), practice with his a cappella group in Arthur’s editing suite, a move that demonstrates the increasingly teasing affection between Arthur and Reggie.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Find an activity that meets your current needs With so many facets to the creative life, there is bound to be an endeavor that scratches an itch.—
Theara Coleman,
TheWeek,
8 May 2026
-
Bites or scratches from an infected rodent or eating food contaminated with hantavirus, are other forms of exposure, Florida Health said.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacbee.com,
5 May 2026
Verb
-
The timeliness of filing cases bothers him.—
Shelley Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Apr. 2026
-
None of that, nor the fact Beckham missed all of 2025, bothers Harbaugh.—
Armando Salguero OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Villanueva still chafes over these watchdog agencies.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2026
-
The lively, spirited daughter of an Afghani immigrant family chafes against the traditional values of her family and immigrant community.—
The Know,
Denver Post,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
China, which jails human rights activists in Hong Kong, persecutes Uyghurs, has killed hundreds of thousands of Tibetans and has committed genocide against the Falun Gong, is on the UN Human Rights Council.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
18 Feb. 2026
-
In Russia, the civilian repressive apparatus persecutes the military, which leaps at every chance for revenge.—
Stephen Kotkin,
Foreign Affairs,
16 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Woodcutters sets forth the musings of a narrator sitting in an armchair at a dinner party who excoriates the literary awards establishments of his native land (and by extension all lands that are host to a robust bourgeoisie).—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
When traveling, the EPA suggests inspecting any room visitors will be staying in for the presence of bed bugs.—
Colson Thayer,
PEOPLE,
20 Apr. 2026
-
As an existing subdivision — 99% of it vacant — Azure Vista offered hundreds of buildable vacant lots populated only by red ants, quail and Groucho Marx bugs.—
Eric DuVall,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Avery Sullivan, with whom Morris also plays in the country-rock band Fust, keeps loose time on drums, tapping the snare like someone setting down coffee mugs while Libby Rodenbough scrapes out a few melody lines on her fiddle and colors empty spaces with some ghostly tremolo.—
Jayson Greene,
Pitchfork,
1 Apr. 2026
-
To show me, Max reaches a metal pick into a tank of clear water and scrapes a white line that seems to hover in the center of the tank.—
Blair Braverman,
Outside,
3 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Irritates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/irritates. Accessed 9 May. 2026.
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