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irritate

Syllabification: (ir·ri·tate)
Pronunciation: /ˈiriˌtāt/
Translate irritate | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of irritate

verb

[with object]
  • make (someone) annoyed, impatient, or angry:his tone irritated her [no object]:his voice tends to irritate
  • cause inflammation or other discomfort in (a part of the body).
  • Biology stimulate (an organism, cell, or organ) to produce an active response.

Derivatives

irritative

Pronunciation: /-ˌtātiv/
adjective

irritator

Pronunciation: /-ˌtātər/
noun

Origin:

mid 16th century (in the sense 'excite, provoke'): from Latin irritat- 'irritated', from the verb irritare

irritate in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of irritate in the British & World English dictionary

Nearby words

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