What is the meaning of irritate?

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"
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APAWordNet. (2010). irritate. Retrieved September 20, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/irritate/definitions/1287693
ChicagoWordNet. 2010. "irritate" http://smartdefine.org/irritate/definitions/1287693 (accessed September 20, 2026).
HarvardWordNet 2010, irritate, Smart Define, viewed 20 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/irritate/definitions/1287693>.
MLAWordNet. "irritate" 23 October 2010. Web. 20 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/irritate/definitions/1287693>
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