ENGLISH DICTIONARY

Irritability

Definition, Meaning & Examples

Pronunciation /ˌɪɹɪtəˈbɪlɪti/ · Part of speech noun

Quick meaning: Irritability is a noun meaning The state or quality of being irritable; quick excitability.

Meaning

The state or quality of being irritable; quick excitability.

More Meanings

  1. (medicine) A condition of morbid excitability of an organ or part of the body; undue susceptibility to the influence of stimuli.
  2. (physiology) A natural susceptibility, characteristic of all living organisms, tissues, and cells, to the influence of certain stimuli, response being manifested in a variety of ways.

Example Sentences

irritability of temper
There is growth only in plants; but there is irritability, or, a better word, instinctivity, in insects.
We find a renitency in ourselves to ascribe life and irritability to the cold and motionless fibres of plants.
Blue No. 1 and yellow No. 6 may also be toxic to some human cells. And as little as 1 milligram of yellow dye No. 5 may cause irritability, restlessness and sleep disturbances for sensitive children.

Word Forms

Synonyms for irritability

Depending on context, synonyms include petulance, fretfulness, choler, temper, peevishness, excitability.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include crossness, pettishness, peevishness, surliness, choler, snappishness.

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Sources & Attribution

FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0

Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.