He had been waiting for over an hour and was beginning to feel irritable.
Synonyms: bad-tempered, cross, snappy, hot More Synonyms of irritable
irritably (ɪrɪtəbli)adverb [ADVERB with verb]
'Why are you whispering?' he asked irritably.
The judge shook his head irritably and Juicks hushed.
irritability (ɪrɪtəbɪlɪti)uncountable noun
Patients usually suffer from increased irritability.
Synonyms: bad temper, impatience, ill humour, prickliness More Synonyms of irritable
irritable in British English
(ˈɪrɪtəbəl)
adjective
1.
quickly irritated; easily annoyed; peevish
2.
(of all living organisms) capable of responding to such stimuli as heat, light, and touch
3. pathology
abnormally sensitive
Derived forms
irritability (ˌirritaˈbility)
noun
irritableness (ˈirritableness)
noun
irritably (ˈirritably)
adverb
irritable in American English
(ˈɪrɪtəbəl)
adjective
1.
easily annoyed or provoked; fretful
2. Medicine
excessively or pathologically sensitive to a stimulus
3. Physiology
able to respond to a stimulus
SYNONYMY NOTE: irritable implies quick excitability to annoyance or anger, usually resulting from emotionaltension, restlessness, physical indisposition, etc.; , irascible, choleric are applied to persons who are hot-tempered and can be roused to a fit of anger atthe slightest irritation; , splenetic suggests a peevish moroseness in one quick to vent his malice or spite; , touchy applies to one who is acutely irritable or sensitive and is too easily offended;, cranky, cross suggest moods in which one cannot be easily pleased or satisfied, , cranky because of stubborn notions or whims, and , cross because of ill humor
Derived forms
irritability (ˌirritaˈbility)
noun or ˈirritableness
irritably (ˈirritably)
adverb
Word origin
L irritabilis < irritare, to irritate
Examples of 'irritable' in a sentence
irritable
The causes of irritable bowel syndrome are poorly understood and the treatment can be ineffective, meaning that those it afflicts often suffer all their lives.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Your irritable bowel syndrome may become more uncomfortable because the atmospheric pressure in an aircraft increases bloating.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
People get irritable and seem to be in more of a hurry.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
They were less likely to report feeling irritable or unhappy than during most other activities.
Larson, Reed & Richards, Maryse H. Divergent Realities: the Emotional Lives of Mothers, Fathers, and Adolescents (1994)
It also might help with problems such as irritable bowel and poor digestion.
The Sun (2011)
We become irritable with others and vent our bad temper on them.
Atkinson, Jacqueline M Coping with Stress at Work (1988)
They are less irritable and moody and better able to weigh the information.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
The group had suffered from disappointing trials of a treatment for irritable bowel syndrome.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
If they still have a nap and they it they will get irritable.
The Sun (2006)
No wonder you might feel irritable too.
The Sun (2010)
The wasps have become more irritable in the chilly weather over the past couple of weeks.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Stress can be linked with irritable bowel syndrome and bloating.
The Sun (2012)
He is getting increasingly irritable about this and has told me that he feels rejected.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Sometimes they become irritable through frustration and may be aggressive to others.
Wallace, Louise M & Bundy, Christine Coping with Angina (1990)
Obesity and irritable bowel syndrome are thought to be vulnerable to the right strain of bacteria.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Most users become dependent and feel restless, irritable and depressed if they stop.
Cohen, Julian & Kay, James Taking Drugs Seriously (1994)
Do you feel unreasonably irritable and angry when you can't get online?
The Sun (2007)
A The commonest cause is irritable bowel syndrome.
The Sun (2015)
He had constant tummy problems, which may have been something like irritable bowel syndrome, andhad bad dreams.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
I would smile, put on a front - and then act irritable or moody or depressed.
Bethune, Helen Positive Parent Power (1991)
In other languages
irritable
British English: irritable /ˈɪrɪtəbl/ ADJECTIVE
If you are irritable, you are easily annoyed.
He had missed his dinner, and grew irritable.
American English: irritable
Arabic: سَرِيعُ الغَضَبُ
Brazilian Portuguese: irritável
Chinese: 易怒的
Croatian: razdražljiv
Czech: nedůtklivý
Danish: irritabel
Dutch: lichtgeraakt
European Spanish: irritable
Finnish: ärtyisä
French: irritable
German: reizbar nervös
Greek: οξύθυμος
Italian: irritabile
Japanese: 怒りっぽい
Korean: 화를 쉽게 내는
Norwegian: irritabel
Polish: drażliwy
European Portuguese: irritável
Romanian: irascibil
Russian: раздражительный
Latin American Spanish: irritable
Swedish: lättretlig
Thai: โกรธง่าย
Turkish: çabuk kızan
Ukrainian: дратівливий
Vietnamese: dễ cáu kỉnh
Chinese translation of 'irritable'
irritable
(ˈɪrɪtəbl)
adj
[person]易激怒的 (yì jīnù de)
see usage note
angry
(adjective)
Definition
easily annoyed or angered
He had been waiting for an hour and was starting to feel irritable.
Synonyms
bad-tempered
a crusty, bad-tempered, ill-humoured character
cross
Everyone was getting bored and cross.
snappy
He wasn't irritable or snappy.
hot
tense
crabbed
fiery
snarling
prickly
You know how prickly she can be.
exasperated
edgy
She was nervous and edgy, waiting for the phone to ring.
touchy
He is very touchy about his past.
petulant
He whined like a petulant child.
ill-tempered
You sound like an ill-tempered child.
irascible
He had an irascible temper.
cantankerous
You're just a cantankerous so-and-so.
tetchy
You always get tetchy when you're hungry.
ratty (British, New Zealand, informal)
I was beginning to get a bit ratty and fed up.
testy
Ben gets testy when he is hungry.
chippy (informal)
fretful
an extremely fretful four-month old baby
peevish
Lack of sleep always made him peevish.
crabby
I'm extremely crabby when I'm hungry.
dyspeptic
choleric
He plays a choleric old schoolmaster.
crotchety (informal)
a crotchety old man
oversensitive
snappish
ill-humoured
narky (British, slang)
out of humour
Opposites
calm
,
cheerful
,
good-natured
,
patient
,
composed
,
complacent
,
agreeable
,
imperturbable
,
even-tempered
,
unexcitable
Seeirascible
Synonyms of 'irritable'
irritable
Explore 'irritable' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of crabby
Definition
bad-tempered
I'm extremely crabby when I'm hungry.
Synonyms
bad-tempered,
acid,
irritable,
cross,
awkward,
sour,
prickly,
snappy,
surly,
tetchy,
ratty (British, New Zealand, informal),
testy,
grouchy (informal),
unsociable,
misanthropic,
crotchety (informal),
mardy (dialect),
snappish,
ill-humoured,
nasty-tempered
in the sense of cross
Definition
angry
Everyone was getting bored and cross.
Synonyms
angry,
impatient,
irritable,
annoyed,
put out,
hacked (off) (informal),
pissed (taboo, slang),
crusty,
snappy,
grumpy,
vexed,
pissed off (taboo, slang),
sullen,
surly,
fractious,
petulant,
disagreeable,
short,
churlish,
peeved (informal),
ill-tempered,
irascible,
cantankerous,
tetchy,
ratty (British, New Zealand, informal),
tooshie (Australian, slang),
testy,
fretful,
waspish,
in a bad mood,
grouchy (informal),
querulous,
shirty (slang, British),
peevish,
splenetic,
crotchety (informal),
snappish,
ill-humoured,
liverish,
captious,
pettish,
out of humour,
hoha (New Zealand)
in the sense of crotchety
Definition
bad-tempered
a crotchety old man
Synonyms
bad-tempered,
difficult,
cross,
contrary,
awkward,
irritable,
crusty,
grumpy,
surly,
fractious,
disagreeable,
cantankerous,
tetchy,
ratty (British, New Zealand, informal),
testy,
peevish,
curmudgeonly,
obstreperous,
crabby,
liverish
in the sense of edgy
Definition
nervous, irritable, or anxious
She was nervous and edgy, waiting for the phone to ring.
Synonyms
nervous,
wired (slang),
anxious,
tense,
irritable,
touchy,
uptight (informal),
on edge,
nervy (British, informal),
ill at ease,
restive,
twitchy (informal),
irascible,
tetchy,
chippy (informal),
on tenterhooks,
keyed up,
antsy (informal),
on pins and needles,
adrenalized
in the sense of fretful
Definition
irritable or upset
an extremely fretful four-month old baby
Synonyms
irritable,
cross,
worried,
complaining,
anxious,
unhappy,
uneasy,
edgy,
touchy,
fractious,
petulant,
out of sorts,
tetchy,
ratty (British, New Zealand, informal),
testy,
short-tempered,
querulous,
peevish,
splenetic,
crotchety (informal),
captious
in the sense of ill-tempered
Definition
having a bad temper
You sound like an ill-tempered child.
Synonyms
cross,
irritable,
grumpy,
irascible,
sharp,
annoyed,
impatient,
touchy,
bad-tempered,
curt,
spiteful,
tetchy,
ratty (British, New Zealand, informal),
testy,
chippy (informal),
choleric,
ill-humoured,
liverish
in the sense of irascible
Definition
easily angered
He had an irascible temper.
Synonyms
bad-tempered,
cross,
irritable,
crabbed,
touchy,
cantankerous,
peppery,
tetchy,
ratty (British, New Zealand, informal),
testy,
chippy (informal),
short-tempered,
hot-tempered,
quick-tempered,
choleric,
narky (British, slang)
in the sense of peevish
Definition
fretful or irritable
Lack of sleep always made him peevish.
Synonyms
irritable,
cross,
crabbed,
childish,
acrimonious,
crusty,
snappy,
grumpy,
sullen,
touchy,
whingeing (informal),
surly,
fractious,
petulant,
churlish,
sulky,
ill-tempered,
cantankerous,
tetchy,
ratty (British, New Zealand, informal),
testy,
chippy (informal),
fretful,
short-tempered,
waspish,
querulous,
huffy,
splenetic,
crotchety (informal),
shrewish,
liverish,
captious,
pettish,
ill-natured
in the sense of petulant
Definition
unreasonably irritable or peevish
He whined like a petulant child.
Synonyms
sulky,
cross,
moody,
sour,
crabbed,
impatient,
pouting,
perverse,
irritable,
crusty,
sullen,
bad-tempered,
ratty (British, New Zealand, informal),
fretful,
waspish,
querulous,
peevish,
ungracious,
cavilling,
huffy,
fault-finding,
snappish,
ill-humoured,
captious
in the sense of prickly
Definition
touchy or irritable
You know how prickly she can be.
Synonyms
irritable,
edgy,
grumpy,
touchy,
bad-tempered,
fractious,
petulant,
stroppy (British, slang),
cantankerous,
tetchy,
ratty (British, New Zealand, informal),
chippy (informal),
waspish,
shirty (slang, British),
arsey (British, Australian, New Zealand, slang),
peevish,
snappish,
liverish,
pettish
Additional synonyms
in the sense of ratty
Definition
cross and irritable
I was beginning to get a bit ratty and fed up.
Synonyms
irritable,
cross,
angry,
annoyed,
pissed (US, Canadian, slang),
crabbed,
impatient,
snappy,
pissed off (taboo, slang),
touchy,
tetchy,
testy,
chippy (informal),
short-tempered,
tooshie (Australian, slang)
in the sense of snappy
Definition
(of someone's behaviour) irritable, unfriendly, and cross