IRRITABILITY Synonyms: 94 Similar and Opposite Words

irritability

noun

ˌir-ə-tə-ˈbi-lə-tē

Definition of irritability

as in irritableness

readiness to show annoyance or impatience the librarian's well-known irritability makes students hesitant to ask questions

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of irritability Hunger can amplify low moods, irritability and worry, which is not what any nervous child needs before walking into a new classroom. — Ashley Lynch, Miami Herald, 10 Aug. 2026 This could, in turn, trigger feelings of restlessness and irritability, not to mention the lack of clarity brought on by the moon transiting this Water sign. — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 2 Aug. 2026 Capsaicin, the natural chemical compound in chili peppers, can cause severe irritability in a feline's gastrointestinal system. — Pat Mueller, USA Today, 28 July 2026 Fatigue, low motivation, weight gain and irritability are being reclaimed by primary care as signals of sleep debt, metabolic disease and untreated depression rather than default hormone problems. — Samantha Agate, Kansas City Star, 27 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for irritability

Recent Examples of Synonyms for irritability

Noun

The United States must therefore carefully balance the need to de-risk against the need to deter aggression.

— GLORIA XIONG, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026
Game fowl are bred for aggression by definition, said Jenny Berg, California state director of the Humane World for Animals, which worked with Rogers on the bill.

— Naomi Taxay, Sacbee.com, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of aggression

Noun

Video from the Virginia incident, which shows an agent with a gun, has reignited conversations about the aggressiveness of ICE enforcement.

— Juan Benn Jr, Washington Post, 12 Aug. 2026
She’s learned how to channel her competitiveness and aggressiveness in a much better way, a more productive way.

— Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of aggressiveness

Noun

How to handle it A lot of Virgo’s crankiness can be soothed with helping them get organized and practice self-compassion.

— Maressa Brown, Parents, 18 June 2026
Bumping into someone wasn’t met with frustration, but with a grin and a comment about the Knicks, as if the entire city had agreed to give each other a pass from the stereotypical crankiness for one single night.

— Antonio Ferme, Variety, 14 June 2026

Definition of crankiness

Noun

Maybe that’s because of the rollback of climate-change policies in Washington, a backlash against ESG or sensitivity about the growing emissions toll of AI.

— Diane Brady, Fortune, 17 Aug. 2026
The resulting mix of companies' labor intensity and AI sensitivity yields a list of productivity beneficiaries within the Russell 1000.

— Tobias Burns, CNBC, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of sensitivity

Noun

Vince Gilligan moved to Apple and returned to his X-Files roots for the sci-fi horror dramatic comedy Pluribus, which used its ultra-mysterious and yet ultra-familiar genre trappings for a droll meditation on the eternal clash between collective joy and individual grouchiness.

— Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 17 Nov. 2025
Emily is also struggling with Annabelle, who has inherited her mom’s attitude and the grouchiness of any adolescent forced to grow up with an Evolution Media camera crew in her home.

— Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2025

Definition of grouchiness

Noun

Cusick and Kretschmann offer complementary chords of variable petulance and insecurity, as newcomer Cuoso ably negotiates her character’s shifting ambiguities.

— Dennis Harvey, Variety, 31 July 2026
France’s challenges came from external provocation, first the petulance of the Paraguayan team, but then comments widely condemned as racist by a Paraguayan politician.

— Adam Crafton, New York Times, 16 July 2026

Definition of petulance

Noun

The Soviet Union took them from Japan in the final days of World War II, and the dispute has kept the countries from signing a peace treaty formally ending their hostilities.

— ABC News, ABC News, 18 Aug. 2026
Riyadh and Abu Dhabi were already at loggerheads over Syria, with Saudi Arabia backing the post-Assad regime and the UAE sharing Israel’s hostility to it, and Yemen, where Saudi Arabia had just driven out Emirati proxies.

— MARC LYNCH, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of hostility

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irrigating

irritability

irritable

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“Irritability.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/irritability. Accessed 19 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of irritability

noun

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