irritation

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French irritation, from Latin irrītātiō, from irrītāre, present active infinitive of irrītō (“I excite”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌɪɹɪˈteɪʃən/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪʃən

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Noun

irritation (countable and uncountable, plural irritations)

1. The act of irritating or annoying.

   What irritation causes you to be so moody?

2. The state of being irritated.
   • 1972 October 13, National Transportation Safety Board, “2.1 Analysis”, in Aircraft Accident Report: Alaska Airlines, Inc., Boeing 727, N2969G, Near Juneau, Alaska, September 4, 1971‎^[1], archived from the original on 31 August 2024, page 31:

     It has already been established that the crew was competent and qualified for operation of AS66. With the exception of some overtones of irritation about the manner in which another aircraft, N799Y, affected the flight's progress into the Juneau area, the recorded cockpit conversation, in general, reflects a relaxed but businesslike atmosphere.

   • 2012 March-April, Anna Lena Phillips, “Sneaky Silk Moths”, in American Scientist‎^[2], volume 100, number 2, page 172:

     Last spring, the periodical cicadas emerged across eastern North America. Their vast numbers and short above-ground life spans inspired awe and irritation in humans—and made for good meals for birds and small mammals.

3. A thing or person that annoys.

   Synonym: pain in the neck

4. (physiology) A state of inflammation or of painful reaction to cell or tissue damage.
5. A condition of morbid excitability or oversensitiveness of an organ or part of the body; a state in which the application of ordinary stimuli produces pain or excessive or vitiated action.
   • 1975, Richard I. Feinbloom, Children's Hospital Medical Center, Child Health Encyclopedia: The Complete Guide for Parents:

     Hip pain is a common complaint in children and may indicate a very mild irritation in the hip joint or may be the symptom of a very severe abnormality

Derived terms

• abirritation
• counterirritation
• irritant
• irritational
• irritative
• photoirritation

 

Related terms

• irritable
• irritate

Translations

the act of irritating

• Azerbaijani: qıcıq, qıcıqlandırma
• Bulgarian: раздразнение (bg) n (razdraznenie)
• Catalan: irritació f
• Danish: irritation c
• Esperanto: agaco
• Finnish: ärsytys (fi)
• French: irritation (fr) f
• Georgian: გაღიზიანება (gaɣizianeba)
• German: Ärger (de) m, Irritation (de) f, Verärgerung f
• Greek: ερεθισμός (el) m (erethismós)

  Ancient: ἀγανάκτησις f (aganáktēsis)

• Japanese: 苛立ち (ja) (iradachi)
• Maori: māngeongeo
• Middle English: noyaunce
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: irritasjon m

  Nynorsk: irritasjon m

• Polish: irytacja (pl) f
• Romanian: iritare (ro) f
• Russian: раздраже́ние (ru) n (razdražénije)
• Spanish: irritación (es) f
• Turkish: iritasyon, irkilme (tr), öfke (tr)

the act of exciting, or the condition of being excited to action, by stimulation

• Azerbaijani: qıcıq
• Bulgarian: възбуждане (bg) n (vǎzbuždane), дразнение n (draznenie)
• Finnish: ärsytys (fi), ärsyttäminen (fi)
• German: Irritation (de) f
• Greek: ερεθισμός (el) m (erethismós)

  Ancient: ἀγανάκτησις f (aganáktēsis)

• Latin: molestia f
• Maori: kūrakuraku
• Russian: возбужде́ние (ru) n (vozbuždénije)
• Turkish: iritasyon

oversensitiveness of part of the body

• Bulgarian: чувствителност (bg) f (čuvstvitelnost)
• Danish: irritation c
• German: Irritation (de) f
• Greek: εκνευρισμός (el) m (eknevrismós)
• Maori: māngeongeo
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: irritasjon m

  Nynorsk: irritasjon m

• Romanian: iritație (ro) f
• Russian: раздраже́ние (ru) n (razdražénije)
• Turkish: iritasyon, irkilme (tr)

Further reading

irritation on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

• “irritation”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “irritation”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

French

Etymology

From Latin irrītātiōnem.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /i.ʁi.ta.sjɔ̃/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔ̃
• Homophone: irritations

Noun

irritation f (plural irritations)

1. irritation (all senses)

Related terms

• irriter

Further reading

• “irritation”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.