Irritate - English meaning

verb

Scrape or wear away by friction or erosion.

Usage examples:

It was a landscape slowly abraded by a fine, stinging dust

verb

To remove part of the surface of something by rubbing

verb

Make (a problem, injury, or offence) worse or more serious.

Usage examples:

Military action would only aggravate the situation

verb

To make something bad worse

Usage examples:

Road repair work has aggravated the problem of traffic congestion., it really aggravates me when th…

verb

To make a bad situation worse

Usage examples:

Attempts to restrict parking in the city centre have further aggravated the problem of traffic cong…

noun

A strong feeling of annoyance, displeasure, or hostility.

Usage examples:

The colonel's anger at his daughter's disobedience

verb

Fill (someone) with anger; provoke anger in.

Usage examples:

She was angered by his terse answer

noun

The feeling people get when something unfair, painful, or bad happens

Usage examples:

You need to control your anger., he yelled at them in anger., his constant complaining only angered…

verb

Make (someone) a little angry; irritate.

Usage examples:

The decision really annoyed him

verb

To make someone slightly angry or upset

Usage examples:

I know you’re doing this only to annoy me., [ u ] as soon as he saw me, a look of annoyance crossed…

verb

To make someone angry

Usage examples:

Tina really annoyed me in the meeting this morning., i'm sorry - is my cough annoying you?, [ + tha…

verb

Cause (someone) to become hostile.

Usage examples:

The aim was to antagonize visiting supporters

verb

To anger someone enough to dislike and oppose you

Usage examples:

The company doesn’t want to antagonize one of its biggest oil suppliers.

verb

To make someone dislike you or feel opposed to you

Usage examples:

It's a very delicate situation and i've no wish to antagonize him.

verb

Take the trouble to do something.

Usage examples:

Scientists rarely bother with such niceties

noun

Effort, trouble, or difficulty.

Usage examples:

He saved me the bother of having to come up with a speech

exclamation

Used to express mild irritation or impatience.

Usage examples:

‘bother!’ she muttered

verb

(with reference to a part of the body) make or become sore by rubbing against something.

Usage examples:

The collar chafed his neck

noun

Wear or damage caused by rubbing.

Usage examples:

To prevent chafe the ropes should lie flat

verb

To make skin damaged or sore by rubbing, or to become damaged and sore like this

Usage examples:

The bracelet was so tight that it started to chafe my wrist., use a barrier cream to stop running c…

verb

Make (someone) feel annoyed or dissatisfied.

Usage examples:

The tone of the letter displeased him

verb

To cause someone to be annoyed

Usage examples:

The city council said it was displeased with the way the mayor had allocated parking spaces., they …

verb

To cause someone to be annoyed or unhappy

Usage examples:

I wouldn't want to do anything to displease him.

verb

Irritate and frustrate (someone) intensely.

Usage examples:

This futile process exasperates prison officers

verb

To cause anger or extreme annoyance in someone

Usage examples:

His assistant’s carelessness is exasperating him.

verb

To make someone very annoyed, usually when they can do nothing to solve a problem

verb

Damage or remove part of the surface of (the skin).

Usage examples:

The discharge is acrid and excoriates the skin of the nose

verb

To write or say that a play, book, political action, etc. is very bad

Usage examples:

His latest novel received excoriating reviews., the president excoriated the western press for thei…

verb

Be constantly or visibly anxious.

Usage examples:

She fretted about the cost of groceries

noun

A state of anxiety.

Usage examples:

Why would anyone get themselves in a fret over something so simple?

verb

Decorate with fretwork.

Usage examples:

A botanically inspired ornamental pattern frets the ceiling

noun

Bold and impudent behaviour.

Usage examples:

The bank had the gall to demand a fee

verb

Make (someone) feel annoyed or resentful.

Usage examples:

It galled him to have to sit impotently in silence

noun

An abnormal growth formed in response to the presence of insect larvae, mites, or fungi on plants and trees, especially oaks.

Usage examples:

A single grub feeds on its gall for two years before emerging

verb

Reduce (food) to small shreds by rubbing it on a grater.

Usage examples:

Peel and roughly grate the carrots

noun

The recess of a fireplace or furnace.

Usage examples:

A small coal fire burned in the grate

noun

Reduce to shreds by rubbing against a perforated surface

verb

(of cattle, sheep, etc.) eat grass in a field.

Usage examples:

Cattle graze on the open meadows

noun

A slight injury where the skin is scraped.

Usage examples:

Cuts and grazes on the skin

verb

To touch and rub against something while passing it, causing slight damage

Usage examples:

The bullet only grazed his leg., [ i ] cows grazed in the field.

verb

Cause pain or injury to.

Usage examples:

Ow! you're hurting me!

adjective

Physically injured.

Usage examples:

He complained of a hurt leg and asked his trainer to stop the fight

noun

Physical injury; harm.

Usage examples:

Rolling properly into a fall minimizes hurt

verb

Provoke or intensify (strong feelings, especially anger) in someone.

Usage examples:

High fines further inflamed public feelings

verb

To excite someone’s strong feelings or make them stronger

Usage examples:

The defense objected to the graphic pictures, claiming they were meant merely to inflame the jury.

verb

To cause or increase very strong feelings such as anger or excitement

Usage examples:

Reducing the number of staff is certain to inflame the already angry medical profession., inflame p…

verb

Irritate; annoy.

Usage examples:

It irks her to think of the runaround she received

verb

To annoy someone

Usage examples:

The negative reply to my complaint really irked me.

noun

Highly unpleasant physical sensation caused by illness or injury.

Usage examples:

She's in great pain

verb

Cause mental or physical pain to.

Usage examples:

It pains me to say this

noun

A feeling of irritation or resentment resulting from a slight, especially to one's pride.

Usage examples:

He left in a fit of pique

verb

Arouse (interest or curiosity).

Usage examples:

With his scientific curiosity piqued, he was looking forward to being able to analyse his find

verb

Score a pique against (one's opponent).

noun

A harsh, grating noise.

Usage examples:

The rasp of the engine

verb

Make a harsh, grating noise.

Usage examples:

My breath rasped in my throat

idiom

To annoy someone without intending to

Usage examples:

As soon as they met they started to rub each other up the wrong way.

verb

Drag or pull a hard or sharp implement across (a surface or object) so as to remove dirt or other matter.

Usage examples:

Remove the green tops from the carrots and scrape them

noun

An act or sound of scraping.

Usage examples:

He heard the scrape of his mother's key in the lock

verb

Cut the surface of; wear away the surface of

verb

Score or mark the surface of (something) with a sharp or pointed object.

Usage examples:

The car's paintwork was battered and scratched

noun

A mark or wound made by scratching.

Usage examples:

The scratches on her arm were throbbing

adjective

Assembled or made from whatever is available, and so unlikely to be of the highest quality.

Usage examples:

City were fielding a scratch squad

verb

Make (someone) feel annoyed, frustrated, or worried, especially with trivial matters.

Usage examples:

The memory of the conversation still vexed him

adjective

Angry; annoyed.

Usage examples:

I ain't vex with you

verb

To cause someone to feel annoyance or trouble

Usage examples:

The question that vexes ben the most is, "why me?", rising gas prices are a vexing problem.