irritar

Irritar is a Spanish verb that means to cause irritation, annoyance, or provocation in someone, or to inflame or irritate a part of the body. It is used transitively to describe actions that provoke a reaction in another person or in tissues, as in “El ruido me irrita” or “La sustancia irrita la piel.” The reflexive form irritarse describes the subject’s own reaction to something annoying or provocative, as in “Se irritó al oír la noticia.”

In addition to its emotional sense, irritar can denote physical or chemical irritation, especially concerning skin, mucous membranes, or eyes. Common medical or scientific usage includes phrases like “irritar la piel” or “irritación de las vías respiratorias.” The word often carries a neutral to slightly negative connotation, depending on context; for stronger emotion, verbs such as enfadar or enojar may be used, while irritar emphasizes a cause-and-effect irritation.

Derivation and cognates: irritar comes from Latin irritare, meaning to provoke or excite. Cognates exist in related languages, such as irritar in Portuguese and irritare in Italian, with similar meanings.

Related forms include irritación (irritation), irritante (irritating or irritant), and irritante como sustantivo para referirse a una sustancia que provoca irritación. Conjugation follows standard patterns: present indicative irrito, irritas, irrita, irritamos, irritáis, irritan; reflexive irritarse uses me irrito, te irritas, se irrita, etc.

Examples: El ruido constante irrita a los vecinos. Me irrita que llegues tarde. La exposición prolongada irrita la piel. Se irritó cuando lo interrumpieron.