to irritate
- verb
- /ˈɪrɪˌteɪt/
- His constant tapping on the desk began to irritate me during the meeting.
- become irritated
- irritated many people
- irritated critics
This special role has long irritated other countries.
- This special role has long irritated other countries.
- My publisher continues to, you know, irritate me and to get the nightmare industry.
- I've seen you do that and that fucking irritate.
- And she said, no, I think it's because he was an obnoxious guy and the irritated a lot of people, which is true.
Examples
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You're really startin' to irritate me.
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From the day the baby was born, she began to get irritated with everything around her.
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Why do you like to irritate me so?
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I had expected her to irritate me by repeating her earlier answer, but she did not.
Fiction book (1992) -
Have you broken out of your nursery, young lady, to come irritate the adults?
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- Honey, honey, please don't irritate him.
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Mr. Washington, everything you do irritates me.
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You are irritating me now.
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Do you know who irritates me the most, Mr. Congressman?
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But what irritates me, Marian... if that's the right word for it... is that you won't tell me the truth.
Synonyms
To annoy or disturb someone
Make someone slightly angry or bothered by small repeated actions
Annoy or upset someone gradually
Annoy someone again and again to make them react
To make someone very upset or annoyed
Make someone annoyed, often by small things
Annoy someone and make them angrier
To make someone feel annoyed or unhappy
To annoy someone with small repeated actions
Make someone feel annoyed
To annoy someone by small, repeated actions
To bother someone again and again until they feel angry
To annoy or upset someone in a way that feels sharp
Antonyms
How Irritating
Surface Forms
Morphology
irritate = irritant (opaque) = irrit + ate
The verb form uses a Latin-derived root and '-ate'; the semantic relation to visible morphemes is not transparent for average learners.
Etymology
Irritate comes from the Latin irritare, which meant 'to excite' or 'provoke', and it is related to English words like irritant and irritable. So, to irritate someone is to 'excite' small anger or annoyance, often by doing something again and again.