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erethism

erethism

9.9
An extreme feeling of being easily annoyed and sensitive to light or sound
  • noun
  • /ˈɛrəˌθɪzəm/
  • Specialized
translation icon : erethismo
  • Mercury poisoning can cause erethism, with symptoms such as irritability and mood changes.

Examples

  • The patient was diagnosed with erethism after reporting heightened sensitivity to light and sound.

  • Doctors often diagnose erethism in patients with nerve damage.

  • Certain neurological disorders may present with erethism as a primary symptom.

  • The patient exhibited signs of erethism after the treatment.

  • Certain neurological disorders may present with erethism as a primary symptom.

  • The patient was diagnosed with erethism after reporting heightened sensitivity to light and sound.

  • Mercury poisoning can cause erethism, with symptoms such as irritability and mood changes.

Synonyms

irritability
vserethism
  • Specialized
1 6.5

A body part that reacts too much to touch or small changes

is the abnormal excessive degree of that tendency in a body part
edginess
vserethism
1 6.0

A feeling of nervousness and tension that makes you easily annoyed

is a medical abnormal sensitivity in an organ, not only a mood state

Antonyms

16 5.5

A lack of care for other people's feelings or needs

9 2.7

A state without strong feelings or worry in your mind

How Irritable

erethism
  • Specialized
9.9
irritability
  • Specialized
1 6.5
sensitivity
  • Specialized
15 4.2

Surface Forms

erethism singular
erethisms plural

Morphology

erethism = ereth + ism

A technical borrowing formed from a non‑productive combining form 'ereth-' plus the noun suffix '-ism'; the base is not a recognizable English word, so learners cannot derive the meaning from known English parts.

Etymology

Erethism comes from a Greek root ereth- meaning 'to excite' or 'to irritate', and you can see the same idea in the English word irritate. So, erethism describes being overly sensitive or easily irritated, often in a part of the body such as the nerves.