irritating

adjective

ir·​ri·​tat·​ing ˈir-ə-ˌtā-tiŋ How to pronounce irritating (audio)
: causing displeasure, anger, or annoyance
an irritating noise/habit
I felt more and more angry. There was something very irritating and aggressive in Summerlee's demeanour.Arthur Conan Doyle
irritatingly adverb
The computer was irritatingly slow.

Examples of irritating in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web On top of making your day at the beach much less irritating to your skin, the four-way stretch liner also provides more support for your nether regions. Jake Henry Smith, Glamour, 11 Mar. 2024 Two of the cars that derailed had been holding nearly 386,000 pounds of acrylates, strong-smelling, highly irritating chemicals that are used to make paints, coatings, caulks and sealants. Brenda Goodman, CNN, 9 Mar. 2024 The change was largely made at the request of sailors, who saw the rule as pointless and irritating. Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Feb. 2024 Acne creams are usually less irritating than acne gels. Casey Gallagher, Verywell Health, 2 Mar. 2024 This can be irritating and damaging, causing the bat to wake up earlier than it should during hibernation. Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 1 Mar. 2024 Since it’s not chlorinated, the water is less irritating to eyes and skin, too. Sarah Greaves-Gabbadon, Travel + Leisure, 24 Nov. 2023 The idea is that the alert will be so irritating that the scooter rider will quickly leave the sidewalk. David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Jan. 2024 Do theater kids run the risk of being a bit irritating? Rania Aniftos, Billboard, 23 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'irritating.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1707, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of irritating was in 1707

Dictionary Entries Near irritating

Cite this Entry

“Irritating.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/irritating. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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