irritable

• POS: Adjective
• HYPHEN: ir=ri=ta=ble

CIDE DICTIONARY

irritable, a. [L. irritabilis: cf. F. irritable. See Irritate.].

•  Capable of being irritated.  [1913 Webster]
•  Very susceptible of anger or passion; easily inflamed or exasperated; as, an irritable temper.  [1913 Webster]

  "Vicious, old, and irritable."  [1913 Webster]
•  Endowed with irritability; susceptible of irritation; capable of being excited to action by the application of certain stimuli.  [1913 Webster]
•  Susceptible of irritation; unduly sensitive to irritants or stimuli. See Irritation, n., 3.

Syn. -- Excitable; irascible; touchy; fretful; peevish.

OXFORD DICTIONARY

irritable, adj.
1 easily annoyed or angered.
2 (of an organ etc.) very sensitive to contact.
3 Biol. responding actively to physical stimulus.

Derivative

irritability n. irritably adv.

Etymology

L irritabilis (as IRRITATE)

THESAURUS

irritable

aggressive, agitable, all nerves, allergic, anaphylactic, apprehensive, bad-tempered, bearish, bellicose, belligerent, bickering, bitchy, cankered, cantankerous, choleric, churlish, combative, crabbed, crabby, cranky, cross, cross-grained, crotchety, crusty, cussed, delicate, disagreeable, disputatious, divisive, dyspeptic, edgy, emotional, emotionally unstable, empathetic, empathic, eristic, eruptive, excitable, explosive, factional, factious, fearful, feisty, fractious, fretful, frightened, goosy, grouchy, gruff, high-mettled, high-spirited, high-strung, highly emotional, huffish, huffy, hyperesthetic, hyperpathic, hypersensitive, ill-humored, ill-tempered, impatient, inflammable, irascible, itchy, litigious, mean, mettlesome, moody, nerves on edge, nervous, nervy, on edge, ornery, overrefined, oversensible, oversensitive, overstrung, overtender, panicky, partisan, passible, peevish, perturbable, perverse, pettish, petulant, pindling, polarizing, polemic, prickly, pugnacious, quarrelsome, querulous, raspy, refined, responsive, sensitive, short-tempered, shrewish, skittish, snappish, snappy, spiteful, spleeny, splenetic, startlish, supersensitive, sympathetic, tactful, temperamental, tender, testy, tetchy, thin-skinned, ticklish, touchy, ugly, uneasy, volcanic, waspish, whiny, wrangling

ROGET THESAURUS

irritable

Excitability

N excitability, impetuosity, vehemence, boisterousness, turbulence, impatience, intolerance, nonendurance, irritability, itching, wincing, disquiet, disquietude, restlessness, fidgets, fidgetiness, agitation, trepidation, perturbation, ruffle, hurry, fuss, flurry, fluster, flutter, pother, stew, ferment, whirl, buck fever, hurry-skurry, thrill, state of excitement, fever of excitement, transport, passion, excitement, flush, heat, fever, heat, fire, flame, fume, blood boiling, tumult, effervescence, ebullition, boiling over, whiff, gust, story, tempest, scene, breaking out, burst, fit, paroxysm, explosion, outbreak, outburst, agony, violence, fierceness, rage, fury, furor, furore, desperation, madness, distraction, raving, delirium, phrensy, frenzy, hysterics, intoxication, tearing passion, raging passion, anger, fascination, infatuation, fanaticism, Quixotism, Quixotry, tete montee, excitable, easily excited, in an excitable state, high-strung, irritable, impatient, intolerant, feverish, febrile, hysterical, delirious, mad, moody, maggoty- headed, unquiet, mercurial, electric, galvanic, hasty, hurried, restless, fidgety, fussy, chafing, startlish, mettlesome, high-mettled, skittish, vehement, demonstrative, violent, wild, furious, fierce, fiery, hot-headed, madcap, overzealous, enthusiastic, impassioned, fanatical, rabid, rampant, clamorous, uproarious, turbulent, tempestuous, tumultuary, boisterous, impulsive, impetuous, passionate, uncontrolled, uncontrollable, ungovernable, irrepressible, stanchless, inextinguishable, burning, simmering, volcanic, ready to burst forth, volatile, excited, exciting, Int, pish!, pshaw!, noli me tangere, filled with fury, rapt, inspir'd, maggiore fretta minore atto.

Inexcitability

N inexcitability, imperturbability, inirritability, even temper, tranquil mind, dispassion, tolerance, patience, coolth, passiveness, hebetude, hebetation, impassibility, stupefaction, coolness, calmness, composure, placidity, indisturbance, imperturbation, sang froid, tranquility, serenity, quiet, quietude, peace of mind, mental calmness, staidness, gravity, sobriety, Quakerism, philosophy, equanimity, stoicism, command of temper, self-possession, self-control, self-command, self-restraint, ice water in one's veins, presence of mind, submission, resignation, sufferance, supportance, endurance, longsufferance, forbearance, longanimity, fortitude, patience of Job, patience on a monument, patience 'sovereign o'er transmuted ill', moderation, repression of feelings, subjugation of feeling, restraint, tranquillization, inexcitable, unexcitable, imperturbable, unsusceptible, unpassionate, dispassionate, cold-blooded, irritable, enduring, stoical, Platonic, philosophic, staid, stayed, sober, sober minded, grave, sober as a judge, grave as a judge, sedate, demure, cool-headed, easy-going, peaceful, placid, calm, quiet as a mouse, tranquil, serene, cool as a cucumber, cool as a custard, undemonstrative, temperate, composed, collected, unexcited, unstirred, unruffled, undisturbed, unperturbed, unimpassioned, unoffended, unresisting, meek, tolerant, patient, patient as Job, submissive, tame, content, resigned, chastened, subdued, lamblike, gentle as a lamb, suaviter in modo, mild as mothers milk, soft as peppermint, armed with patience, bearing with, clement, long-suffering, like patience on a monument smiling at grief, aequo animo, in cold blood, more in sorrow than in anger, Int, patience!, and shuffle the cards, cool calm and collected, keep calm in the midst of a storm, adversity's sweet milk, philosophy, mens aequa in arduis philosophia stemma non inspec, quo me cumque rapit tempestas deferor hospes, they also serve who only stand and wait.

Irascibility

N irascibility, irascibleness, temper, crossness, susceptibility, procacity, petulance, irritability, tartness, acerbity, protervity, pugnacity, excitability, bad temper, fiery temper, crooked temper, irritable, temper, genus irritabile, hot blood, ill humor, asperity, churlishness, huff, a word and a blow, Sir Fretful Plagiary, brabbler, Tartar, shrew, vixen, virago, termagant, dragon, scold, Xantippe, porcupine, spitfire, fire eater, fury, irascible, bad-tempered, ill-tempered, irritable, susceptible, excitable, thin-skinned, fretful, fidgety, on the fret, hasty, overhasty, quick, warm, hot, testy, touchy, techy, tetchy, like touchwood, like tinder, huffy, pettish, petulant, waspish, snappish, peppery, fiery, passionate, choleric, shrewish, sudden and quick in quarrel, querulous, captious, moodish, quarrelsome, contentious, disputatious, pugnacious, cantankerous, exceptious, restiff, churlish, cross, cross as crabs, cross as two sticks, cross as a cat, cross as a dog, cross as the tongs, fractious, peevish, acari=atre, in a bad temper, sulky, angry, resentful, resentive, vindictive, Int, pish!, a vieux comptes nouvelles disputes, quamvis tegatur proditur vultu furor, vino tortus et ira, irascibility, irascibleness, temper, crossness, susceptibility, procacity, petulance, irritability, tartness, acerbity, protervity, pugnacity, excitability, bad temper, fiery temper, crooked temper, irritable, temper, genus irritabile, hot blood, ill humor, asperity, churlishness, huff, a word and a blow, Sir Fretful Plagiary, brabbler, Tartar, shrew, vixen, virago, termagant, dragon, scold, Xantippe, porcupine, spitfire, fire eater, fury, irascible, bad-tempered, ill-tempered, irritable, susceptible, excitable, thin-skinned, fretful, fidgety, on the fret, hasty, overhasty, quick, warm, hot, testy, touchy, techy, tetchy, like touchwood, like tinder, huffy, pettish, petulant, waspish, snappish, peppery, fiery, passionate, choleric, shrewish, sudden and quick in quarrel, querulous, captious, moodish, quarrelsome, contentious, disputatious, pugnacious, cantankerous, exceptious, restiff, churlish, cross, cross as crabs, cross as two sticks, cross as a cat, cross as a dog, cross as the tongs, fractious, peevish, acari=atre, in a bad temper, sulky, angry, resentful, resentive, vindictive, Int, pish!, a vieux comptes nouvelles disputes, quamvis tegatur proditur vultu furor, vino tortus et ira.