irritating

adjective

ir·​ri·​tat·​ing ˈir-ə-ˌtā-tiŋ 

: causing displeasure, anger, or annoyance

an irritating noise/habit

I felt more and more angry. There was something very irritating and aggressive in Summerlee's demeanour.

—Arthur Conan Doyle

irritatingly

ˈir-ə-ˌtā-tiŋ-lē 

adverb

The computer was irritatingly slow.

Synonyms

• abrasive
• aggravating
• annoying
• bothersome
• carking
• chafing
• disturbing
• exasperating
• frustrating
• galling
• irksome
• maddening
• nettlesome
• nettling
• peeving
• pesky
• pestiferous
• pestilent
• pestilential
• pesty
• plaguey
• plaguy
• rankling
• rebarbative
• riling
• vexatious
• vexing

Examples of irritating in a Sentence

his particularly irritating habit of leaving his dirty clothes on the floor

this soap leaves a residue that might be a little irritating if you have sensitive skin

Recent Examples on the Web

While many ingredients might be too irritating for young skin (or just a waste of money) there are options here that will keep a parent and a tween happy. —Megan McIntyre, Allure, 20 June 2024

James and Ings are a similarly effective pairing; Freddy might be one of Ritchie’s most irritating characters, but his mania versus Eddie’s coolness makes for good friction. —Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 7 Mar. 2024

Even on the highest setting, noise was not an issue (closer to ambient white noise than anything irritating). —Samson McDougall, Health, 18 June 2024

Spouses would have a high-level understanding of how much their partner is spending per week or per month, but avoid the occasionally irritating details. —Scott Rick, The Conversation, 10 June 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1707, in the meaning defined above