irritate
gb/ˈɪɹɪtˌeɪt/ us/ˈɪɹɪtˌeɪt/
B1
English
~ 2000
Senses
0 senses
Verb
B1
action
1
Make someone annoyed or impatient
To make someone feel a little angry or not happy.
Usage pattern:
to irritate [someone]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'irritate' with 'irritated'. 'I irritate' means you cause annoyance; 'I am irritated' means you feel annoyed.
Synonyms
annoy (More common in casual speech; slightly broader in use.)
|
bother (More informal and softer in tone.)
Antonyms
please (Means to make someone happy or satisfied.)
|
delight (Stronger than 'please', implies great joy.)
Collocations
irritate someone
|slightly irritate
|really irritate
|irritate the public
|irritate your friends
Themes
emotions
|daily life
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- Her constant humming began to irritate everyone in the office.
- It irritates me when people interrupt.
- The delay in service really irritated the customers.
- His sarcastic remarks irritated his colleagues.
- The noise from the street irritated her all night.
Learner examples
- Loud music can irritate me.
- It irritates my brother when I take his things.
- Bad smells irritate me.
- He irritates his teacher by talking too much.
- The dog’s barking irritates the neighbors.
Verb
B1
action
2
Cause soreness or inflammation in body tissue
To make part of the body hurt or feel uncomfortable.
Usage pattern:
to irritate [part of the body]
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse this physical meaning with the emotional one; context usually makes it clear.
Synonyms
inflame (More medical and formal; often used for tissue.)
|
aggravate (In medical contexts, means to make a condition worse.)
Antonyms
soothe (Means to make pain or discomfort less.)
|
calm (In physical sense, means to reduce irritation or inflammation.)
Collocations
irritate the skin
|irritate the eyes
|chemically irritate
|physically irritate
|irritate tissue
Themes
health
|science
|body
Examples
- The dust in the air irritated my eyes.
- Certain soaps can irritate sensitive skin.
- Chlorine in the pool water irritated his throat.
- The smoke irritated her lungs.
- Wearing that fabric can irritate your skin.
Learner examples
- Smoke can irritate my eyes.
- Hot water irritates my skin.
- Dust irritates my nose.
- This cream may irritate your skin.
- The sun can irritate my eyes.
Grammar
Dictionary form
irritate
IPA
GB/ˈɪɹɪtˌeɪt/
US/ˈɪɹɪtˌeɪt/
Syllables & stress
ir - rit - ate (3 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (ir)
Word forms
Verb
- Base: irritate
- 3rd Person Singular: irritates
- Present Participle: irritating
- Past: irritated
Word family
Forms
Core family
irritation
noun B1
Related words
irritant
noun
irritable
adjective
irritably
adverb
Advanced or less common
irritability
noun
irritatingly
adverb
Expressions
get irritated with
1/ɡˈɛt ˈɪɹətˌeɪtɪd wˈɪθ/
fixed phrase
Become annoyed with someone/something
To start feeling annoyed with someone or something.
Examples
- I often get irritated with drivers who don't use their turn signals.
- She gets irritated with her brother when he plays loud music.
irritate the hell out of
1/ˈɪɹɪtˌeɪt ðə hˈɛl ˈaʊt əv/
fixed phrase
informal
Annoy someone very much
To make someone very angry or annoyed.
Examples
- That sound is irritating the hell out of me!
- She irritates the hell out of her co-workers with her constant complaints.