irritated 1 of 2

adjective

ˈir-ə-ˌtā-təd How to pronounce irritated (audio)
Definition of irritatednext
as in annoyed
subjected to and reacting with irritation irritated viewers were bombarding the station with complaints about the game's delayed start

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

irritated

2 of 2

verb

past tense of irritate
1
as in bothered
to disturb the peace of mind of (someone) especially by repeated disagreeable acts constant chatter irritated the student, who was trying to concentrate on a hard assignment

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in scratched
to make sore by continued rubbing new shoes usually irritate my feet

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of irritated
Adjective
Exosomes and irritated neurons Researchers and clinicians do not fully understand what causes post-herpetic neuralgia. — Andrew Bubak, The Conversation, 14 Sep. 2026 Farell said Rivas Hernandez was irritated by Burke's interactions with another female around that time. — Austin Turner, CBS News, 7 Sep. 2026
Verb
But one snafu irritated a sizable portion of the more than 3,000 students gathered at Arie Crown Theater to hear the astronauts discuss their mission. — Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 14 June 2026 Armenia’s pivot to the West has irritated the Kremlin, however. — Nathan Hodge, CNN Money, 8 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for irritated
Recent Examples of Synonyms for irritated
  1. annoyed
  2. bothered
  3. scratched
  4. exasperated
  5. bugged
  6. scraped
  7. angry
  8. persecuted
Adjective
  • None of this means the machine is annoyed, jealous or anxious to please.
    — Puneet Gaur, Forbes.com, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Lizzie’s newfound happiness is shattered at the end of the second episode, however, when Abby enters her stepdaughter’s dovecote and beheads every bird inside after growing increasingly annoyed with their cooing during mating season.
    — Chris Spargo, PEOPLE, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of annoyed
Verb
  • And he cannot be bothered with mentioning any of them even when discussing Watson's history.
    — Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Thomas has been estranged from the organization for months over a social media faux pas that bothered him and a lawsuit over sales of his jersey.
    — Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of bothered
Verb
  • Other issues are scratched, damaged, or overly polished watches sold as mint, sellers who disappear after receiving payment, and shill bidding at online auctions.
    — Joe D'Allegro, CNBC, 4 Oct. 2026
  • The fight was so violent that each one of them punched, scratched, bit and slapped the other, Linhardt said.
    — David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of scratched
Adjective
  • Martinez and Ishibashi play McConaughey and Harrelson’s real-life spouses like easily exasperated sitcom spouses, half disapproving wet blankets and half the only sane people in their respective families.
    — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Despite riders growing ever more exasperated with having to race in extreme heat, the Vuelta a España race organizer is adamant that major changes to the cycling calendar will not be contemplated as a solution to combat excessive temperatures.
    — Chris Marshall-Bell, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of exasperated
Verb
  • The indictment revealed that prosecutors had bugged the Aisenbergs' home for three months after Sabrina's disappearance.
    — Curran Rastogi, ABC News, 10 Aug. 2026
  • The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine, a law-enforcement agency known as NABU, had bugged Mindich’s apartment in Kyiv, and detectives picked up his conversations about Fire Point.
    — Simon Shuster, The Atlantic, 17 July 2026
Definition of bugged
Verb
  • Most of these super-Earths orbit frighteningly close to their host stars and have long since had their atmospheres scraped away, leaving them baked, parched rocks.
    — Space.com Staff, Space.com, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Many of the musicians focused on the fact that, by definition, AI generates music based on existing music scraped from across the web.
    — Shun Graves, Chicago Tribune, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of scraped
Adjective
  • To argue that calling them immigrants is technically wrong is like getting angry at people who don’t pronounce Los Feliz the Spanish way.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Sheriff Rick Ramsay said Monday that the father later told detectives that Lopez was angry that prosecutors didn’t offer him any plea deals, so his son planned to leave the country rather than face conviction.
    — David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of angry
Verb
  • Those governments provide assurances that people won’t be persecuted or tortured, federal attorneys said.
    — Lindsay Whitehurst, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Also, some immigration cases involve people seeking asylum because they are being persecuted by a foreign government and releasing a person’s full name could be considered sensitive or even dangerous.
    — Laura Tillman, Hartford Courant, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of persecuted

Browse Nearby Words

irritate
irritated
irritates
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Irritated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/irritated. Accessed 10 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of Luddite

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All