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Glite Dictionary
counterirritant

counterirritant

8.6
A cream you put on the skin that makes a warm feeling to ease pain in muscles or joints
  • noun
  • /ˌkaʊntərˈɪrɪtənt/
  • Specialized
translation icon : contrairritante
  • Many athletes apply a counterirritant ointment before training to alleviate muscle soreness.

Examples

  • Doctors recommend using a counterirritant on sore muscles to help reduce deep tissue pain.

  • There's nothing like a counterirritant.

    My Man Godfrey (1936)

  • Capsaicin cream is often used as a counterirritant to relieve the pain in arthritic joints.

Synonyms

rubefacient
vscounterirritant
  • Specialized
9.9

A cream or medicine you put on the skin to make it red and ease pain

causes mild skin inflammation to relieve deeper tissue or joint pain

How Irritating

caustic
  • Specialized
8.3
vesicant
  • Specialized
9.9
rubefacient
  • Specialized
9.9
counterirritant
  • Specialized
8.6
emollient
  • Specialized
1 7.5

Surface Forms

counterirritant singular
counterirritants plural

Morphology

counterirritant = irritant (transparent) = counter + irritant

Formed by productive prefix 'counter-' (against/opposite) attached to the noun 'irritant', so the basic meaning (an agent that counter-irritates) follows directly from its parts.

Etymology

Counterirritant combines counter- meaning 'against' and irritant meaning 'something that causes irritation'. So a counterirritant is a medicine that makes a mild skin irritation to work 'against' deeper pain, distracting you from the ache and helping to relieve it.