Irritated

Irritated is an adjective and the past participle of irritate. It describes a state of annoyance or impatience in people, or a physiological condition in which tissue is inflamed or sensitive. In everyday use, someone who feels irritated is annoyed by a situation or by other people, often displaying tension or short temper. The term can also refer to skin or mucous membranes that have become inflamed or irritated by a chemical, mechanical cause, or infection.

Etymology: The word derives from Latin irritare “to provoke, excite,” with the past participle irritatus, and entered English through Old French and Middle English. Related forms include irritation, irritating, and irritant.

Usage notes: Irritated is typically followed by by or at to indicate the stimulus (e.g., irritated by the noise, irritated at the attitude). In casual speech, irritated with someone is common. In some medical contexts, professionals describe irritated skin or mucosa to distinguish from a diagnosed allergy or infection.

Medical and technical sense: In dermatology and physiology, irritation refers to a non-specific inflammatory response of tissue to irritants such as soaps, detergents, plants (like poison ivy), heat, or friction. Symptoms may include redness, itching, burning, or stinging, and the condition is usually reversible upon removal of the irritant.

See also: irritability, irritation, irritant, irritate.