irritable

[ir-i-tuh-buhl] / ˈɪr ɪ tə bəl /

ADJECTIVE

bad-tempered, crabby

Synonyms

STRONGEST

annoyed contentious exasperated fractious petulant prickly resentful surly testy

WEAK

bearish brooding cantankerous carping choleric complaining crabbed cross crotchety disputatious dissatisfied dyspeptic easily offended fiery fretful fretting gloomy grouchy grumbling hasty hot huffy hypercritical ill-humored irascible moody morose out of humor oversensitive peevish plaintive querulous quick-tempered sensitive snappy snarling tense touchy

Antonyms

STRONGEST

happy pleasant

WEAK

cheerful nice

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Selina had been so concerned about her daughter she asked for a blood test; doctors thought she must have irritable bowel syndrome.

From BBC • Mar. 22, 2026

A person may also become extremely confused and paranoid, easily upset, moody and irritable.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 3, 2026

This imbalance has been linked to long-term conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, and anxiety and depression.

From Science Daily • Feb. 14, 2026

AbbVie cut the list price of Linzess, a treatment for irritable bowel syndrome, by about 50%, to $282 a month.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 29, 2026

Most of the cages were patches of dirt surrounded by iron bars, with forlorn gorillas or restless bears or irritable monkeys or anxious gazelles huddled in the corners.

From "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls

Vocabulary lists containing irritable

Curmudgeon, Cantankerous and Churlish: Grouchy Words

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Esperanza Rising

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Among the Hidden

Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!