irritate

Irritate is a verb with two principal senses. First, it means to cause annoyance, discomfort, or a slight anger in someone. For example, loud noise can irritate a person, or rude remarks may irritate someone. Second, it can describe causing a physical tissue to become inflamed or irritated, such as skin or mucous membranes, leading to symptoms like redness, itching, or burning.

Etymology and form: Irritate comes from Latin irritare, meaning to excite, provoke, or rouse. The related noun is irritation, and the related adjective forms are irritating (causing irritation) and irritated (already inflamed or annoyed). An irritant is a substance or factor that causes irritation.

Medical and everyday usage: In medicine, an irritant or irritant exposure can trigger inflammation, redness, swelling, itching, or pain. Common irritants include chemicals, pollutants, strong winds, certain plants, and abrasive materials. In everyday language, irritate is used to describe things that annoy or bother a person, or to describe a physical sensation such as irritated skin or a throat irritated by smoke.

Relation to other terms: Irritate is often contrasted with aggravate, which implies making a problem worse, and with provoke, which emphasizes arousing a reaction or anger. Irritation can be temporary or become chronic, depending on exposure and sensitivity.

Examples: "The rough fabric irritated his skin." "The constant hum of the machines irritated her." "The chemical irritant caused dermatitis after contact."

See also: irritation, irritant, irritated, irritating.