irritability
irritability Lexical Profile
irritability Game Scores & Validity
• noun
The quality or state of being easily annoyed, impatient, or provoked to anger.
"Sleep deprivation often leads to heightened irritability and difficulty concentrating during the workday."
In medicine, an abnormal or excessive sensitivity of an organ or body part to a stimulus or irritant.
"The patient was prescribed medication to reduce gastrointestinal irritability and relieve discomfort."
In biology and physiology, the capacity of a living organism, cell, or tissue to detect and respond to external stimuli or changes in its environment.
"In introductory biology, students learn that irritability is a fundamental property of all living protoplasm."
• Rhymes for irritability
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the mid-17th century from Late Latin irritabilitas, from Latin irritabilis ('easily provoked'), derived from irritare ('to excite, provoke, or annoy').