ENGLISH
REFERENCE

irritable

adj.
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈɪɹətəbəɫ// UK //ˈɪɹɪtəbəl// ir·ri·ta·ble

adj. becoming annoyed or angry very easily. You might feel this way when you are tired or stressed.

adj. having or showing a tendency to be easily annoyed or made angry. Often used to describe a temporary mood or a permanent personality trait.


SIMPLE

He becomes very irritable when he does not get enough sleep.

CONTEXTUAL

The long flight and lack of food made the passengers irritable and impatient with the staff.

COMPLEX

Chronic pain can make a patient increasingly irritable, leading to strained relationships with caregivers who may not understand the underlying physical cause of the mood shifts.

Synonyms
Origin

Borrowed from French irritable, from Latin irritabilis.

Usage

Commonly follows linking verbs like 'become', 'feel', or 'seem'.

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