— irritableness , n. — irritably , adv.
/ir"i teuh beuhl/ , adj.
1. easily irritated or annoyed; readily excited to impatience or anger.
2. Physiol. , Biol. displaying irritability.
3. Pathol. susceptible to physical irritation.
4. Med. abnormally sensitive to a stimulus.
[ 1655-65; irritabilis, equiv. to irrita ( re ) to IRRITATE + -bilis -BLE ]
Syn. 1. snappish, petulant, resentful. IRRITABLE, TESTY, TOUCHY, IRASCIBLE are adjectives meaning easily upset, offended, or angered. IRRITABLE means easily annoyed or bothered, and it implies cross and snappish behavior: an irritable clerk, rude and hostile; Impatient and irritable, he was constantly complaining. TESTY describes the same kind of behavior or response, particularly to minor annoyances: always on edge, testy and sharp in response; testy and petulant, resenting any interruption.
TOUCHY emphasizes oversensitivity and readiness to take offense, even when none is intended: especially touchy about any reference to obesity. IRASCIBLE means habitually angry or easily aroused to anger: an irascible tyrant, roaring at employees for the slightest error.