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📕 rednote ID(小红书号)：3881567312

Irritate: Definition, Usage & Key Differences (2 meaning)

Meaning 1：annoy (irritate)

irritate 🔊

/ˈɪrɪteɪt/

vt.

To make someone feel annoyed, impatient, or slightly angry.

Irritate meaning illustrated by a frustrated person at a messy desk

annoy 🔊

➕

/əˈnɔɪ/

vt.

Describes an action that causes someone to feel mild anger or frustration.

📁 Category：Behaviors & Actions 🔖 Level：Beginner

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Latin irritatus, past participle of irritare, meaning 'to excite, provoke'.

💡 Mnemonic

Think of an "IRate" (angry) person, who got "IRRITated". IRRIT sounds like 'irate', helping remember it means to make angry.

📖 Example

It really irritates me when people talk loudly on their phones in a quiet café. 🔊 It truly annoys me when people converse loudly on their phones in a quiet coffee shop.

🔗 Collocations

irritate someone – to cause annoyance to a specific person

easily irritated – having a tendency to become annoyed quickly

irritate beyond belief – to annoy someone to an extreme degree

🔄 Synonyms

annoy (vt.) – to cause slight anger or discomfort, often repeatedly

vex (vt.) – to cause annoyance or distress, sometimes through petty provocation

provoke (vt.) – to stir up a reaction, often anger or annoyance, deliberately

🚫 Antonyms

please (vt.) – to give satisfaction or enjoyment

pacify (vt.) – to bring peace, to calm down

mollify (vt.) – to soothe in temper or disposition

🌱 Derivatives

irritated (adj.) – feeling or showing annoyance

irritating (adj./pres. part.) – causing annoyance or discomfort

irritation (n.) – the state of being irritated; something that irritates

📖 Cultural Story

The word originates from the Latin 'irritare', meaning 'to excite, provoke'. It entered English early, used to describe both physical stimulation (like skin) and emotional provocation. Legally, an 'irritating clause' makes a contract void. This shows its broad use from bodily reactions to formal disputes.

Meaning 2：cause inflammation (irritate)

irritate 🔊

/ˈɪrɪteɪt/

vt.

To cause a part of the body to feel slightly painful, itchy, or red.

Irritate definition showing close-up of red, inflamed skin on arm

cause inflammation 🔊

➕

/kɔːz ˌɪnfləˈmeɪʃn/

vt.

Refers to physical or chemical agents that produce a stinging, itchy, or red reaction in skin or organs.

📁 Category：Physical & Mental Health 🔖 Level：Beginner

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Example

Be careful not to let the shampoo get into your eyes, as it can irritate them. 🔊 Exercise caution to prevent shampoo from entering your eyes, because it has the potential to cause them discomfort.

🔗 Collocations

irritate the skin – to cause the skin to become red, itchy, or sore

irritate eyes/eyesight – to cause a stinging or uncomfortable sensation in the eyes

irritate the throat – to cause a scratchy or painful feeling in the throat

🔄 Synonyms

inflame (vt.) – to cause redness, heat, swelling, and pain in a part of the body

chafe (vt.) – to make sore by rubbing against something

aggravate (vt.) – to make a medical condition worse or more severe

🚫 Antonyms

soothe (vt.) – to reduce pain or discomfort, to calm

heal (vt.) – to make healthy or whole again, to cure

calm (vt.) – to make a part of the body less inflamed or reactive

🌱 Derivatives

irritated (adj.) – (of a body part) showing signs of inflammation

irritating (adj./pres. part.) – causing physical inflammation or discomfort

irritation (n.) – a condition of inflammation, soreness, or annoyance