irritant C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities US /ˈɪrɪtənt/ UK /ˈɪrɪtənt/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 noun something that causes irritation or annoyance Chlorine is a common irritant to the eyes and lungs. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 noun · something that causes... annoyancenuisanceaggravationbotherprovocationvexation ↔ Opposites sootherbalmrelief Word family Derived forms irritancy Related forms irritateirritationirritable Etymology AI details From Latin irritant-, present participle stem of irritare 'to excite, provoke, annoy', of uncertain ultimate origin. irritare Latin View etymology graph -> Topics Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # irritant **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** noun **IPA (US):** /ˈɪrɪtənt/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈɪrɪtənt/ ## Meanings 1. something that causes irritation or annoyance ## Examples - Chlorine is a common irritant to the eyes and lungs. ## Synonyms - annoyance - nuisance - aggravation - bother - provocation - vexation ## Antonyms - soother - balm - relief ## Derived Forms - irritancy ## Related Forms - irritate - irritation - irritable ## Roots and Affixes - Root: irritare ## Etymology From Latin irritant-, present participle stem of irritare 'to excite, provoke, annoy', of uncertain ultimate origin. ## AI Etymology Irritant comes from Latin irritant-, present participle stem of irritare 'to excite, provoke, annoy', of uncertain ultimate origin. The etymological trail includes Latin irritare. As a noun, irritant means something that causes irritation or annoyance. The same family is visible in derived forms such as irritancy and related forms such as irritate, irritation, and irritable. The uncertainty belongs to the older derivation, so the explanation should preserve alternatives rather than choosing one unsupported origin. ## Topics - Describing Qualities - Word Formation & Derivatives markdown