Standard Lemma guide

irritant

adj · noun · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈɪɹɪtənt/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: IH1 R AH0 T AH0 N T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Causing irritation or inflammation.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Rendering null and void; conditionally invalidating.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Scotland, not-comparable

Topics: law

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

Any medication designed to cause irritation

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A source of irritation.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

something that causes irritation and annoyance

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • he's a thorn in my flesh

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: thorn

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: annoyance, bother, botheration, pain, infliction, pain in the neck, pain in the ass

History

Etymology

From French irritant, equivalent to irritate + -ant.

Across languages

Translations

25 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: дразнещ (draznešt) — causing irritation
  • Bulgarian: възбудителен (vǎzbuditelen) — causing irritation
  • German: irritierend — causing irritation
  • German: aufreizend — causing irritation
  • German: verwirrend — causing irritation
  • Māori: (matū) whakamangeo — causing irritation
  • Polish: drażniący — causing irritation
  • Russian: раздража́ющий (razdražájuščij) — causing irritation
  • Spanish: irritante — causing irritation
  • Spanish: irritador — causing irritation
  • Ukrainian: дратівни́й (drativnýj) — causing irritation
  • Māori: matū whakamangeo — any medication designed to cause irritation, any substance that causes irritation.
  • Polish: środek drażniący — any medication designed to cause irritation, any substance that causes irritation.
  • Russian: раздражи́тель (razdražítelʹ) — any medication designed to cause irritation, any substance that causes irritation.
  • Bulgarian: дразнител (draznitel) — a source of irritation
  • Esperanto: agacaĵo — a source of irritation
  • Esperanto: malagrablaĵo — a source of irritation
  • German: Ärgernis — a source of irritation
  • German: Reiz — a source of irritation
  • German: Nervensäge — a source of irritation
  • Māori: namunamu — a source of irritation
  • Polish: środek drażniący — a source of irritation
  • Russian: раздражи́тель (razdražítelʹ) — a source of irritation
  • Spanish: irritante — a source of irritation
  • Ukrainian: подра́зник (podráznyk) — a source of irritation