verb
- Cause annoyance in; disturb, especially by minor irritations.
- usage: "Mosquitoes buzzing in my ear really bothers me"; "It irritates me that she never closes the door after she leaves"
- Excite to an abnormal condition, or chafe or inflame.
- usage: "Aspirin irritates my stomach"
- Excite to some characteristic action or condition, such as motion, contraction, or nervous impulse, by the application of a stimulus.
- usage: "irritate the glands of a leaf"
WordNet 3.0 © 2006 by Princeton University
| APA | WordNet. (2010). irritate. Retrieved September 20, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/irritate/definitions/1287693 |
| Chicago | WordNet. 2010. "irritate" http://smartdefine.org/irritate/definitions/1287693 (accessed September 20, 2026). |
| Harvard | WordNet 2010, irritate, Smart Define, viewed 20 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/irritate/definitions/1287693>. |
| MLA | WordNet. "irritate" 23 October 2010. Web. 20 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/irritate/definitions/1287693> |