irritating

adjective

ir·​ri·​tat·​ing ˈir-ə-ˌtā-tiŋ 

: causing displeasure, anger, or annoyance

an irritating noise/habit

I felt more and more angry. There was something very irritating and aggressive in Summerlee's demeanour.

—Arthur Conan Doyle

irritatingly

ˈir-ə-ˌtā-tiŋ-lē 

adverb

The computer was irritatingly slow.

Synonyms

• abrasive
• aggravating
• annoying
• bothersome
• carking
• chafing
• disturbing
• exasperating
• frustrating
• galling
• irksome
• maddening
• nettlesome
• nettling
• peeving
• pesky
• pestiferous
• pestilent
• pestilential
• pesty
• plaguey
• plaguy
• rankling
• rebarbative
• riling
• vexatious
• vexing

Examples of irritating in a Sentence

his particularly irritating habit of leaving his dirty clothes on the floor

this soap leaves a residue that might be a little irritating if you have sensitive skin

Recent Examples on the Web

Of all the teams to surpass Texas Tech this century, TCU’s evolution would be the most painful, or at least irritating. —Mac Engel, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Jan. 2025

Some people at the time feared that this incredibly irritating way of speaking would stick around. —Kaitlyn Tiffany, The Atlantic, 13 Jan. 2025

Traveling can be frustrating and irritating, which may lead at times to aggressive behavior. —Sydney Borchers, Fox News, 13 Jan. 2025

There’s nothing more irritating than looking in the bathroom mirror only to notice that the beautiful design of your necklace is actually on the backside of your neck, while the clasp is sitting front and center. —Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 11 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1707, in the meaning defined above