adjective

irritable

IH-rih-tuhbl

Irritable (adjective) means Easily annoyed or made angry; short-tempered. Example: “He gets irritable when he hasn't eaten.”

adjective

Easily annoyed or made angry; short-tempered.

"He gets irritable when he hasn't eaten."

"The toddler was irritable after missing her nap."

(biology, medicine) Reacting strongly or abnormally to stimulation.

"Irritable bowel syndrome can cause discomfort after eating certain foods."

How to use irritable

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishQuick to get annoyed, or (in medical contexts) overly sensitive to stimulation.

Common pairings

irritable mood irritable bowel syndrome feeling irritable

Word forms

more irritable comparative, most irritable superlative

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He gets _____ when he hasn't eaten.

Etymology

Borrowed from French irritable, from Latin irritabilis.

Origin: Latin

Synonyms

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atrabilious bad-tempered bilious brainish cantankerous carnaptious choleric crabbit crabby cranky crotchety dyspeptic

Antonyms

calm imperturbable serene

Related words

still hot peace glad sad patient afraid angry

Rhymes for irritable

able fable cable table viable liable stable tenable parable affable amiable notable

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Frequently asked questions

What does “irritable” mean?

The word “irritable” means easily annoyed or made angry; short-tempered. In plain terms, quick to get annoyed, or (in medical contexts) overly sensitive to stimulation.

How do you pronounce “irritable”?

“Irritable” is pronounced IH-rih-tuhbl (/ˈɪɹɪtəbl̩/ in IPA).

How do you use “irritable” in a sentence?

Here is “irritable” used in a sentence: “He gets irritable when he hasn't eaten.”

What is another word for “irritable”?

Words with a similar meaning to “irritable” include atrabilious, bad-tempered, bilious, brainish, cantankerous and carnaptious.

What is the opposite of “irritable”?

The opposite of “irritable” — its antonyms — are calm, imperturbable and serene.

What part of speech is “irritable”?

“Irritable” is an adjective.

Where does the word “irritable” come from?

The word “irritable” comes from Latin. Borrowed from French irritable, from Latin irritabilis.

How many meanings does “irritable” have?

“Irritable” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: easily annoyed or made angry; short-tempered.

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