Irritation \Ir`ri*ta"tion\, n. [L. irritatio: cf. F.
irritation.]
[1913 Webster]
1. The act of irritating, or exciting, or the state of being
irritated; excitement; stimulation, usually of an undue
and uncomfortable kind; especially, excitement of anger or
passion; provocation; annoyance; anger.
[1913 Webster]
The whole body of the arts and sciences composes one
vast machinery for the irritation and development of
the human intellect. --De Quincey.
[1913 Webster]
2. (Physiol.) The act of exciting, or the condition of being
excited to action, by stimulation; -- as, the condition of
an organ of sense, when its nerve is affected by some
external body; esp., the act of exciting muscle fibers to
contraction, by artificial stimulation; as, the irritation
of a motor nerve by electricity; also, the condition of a
muscle and nerve, under such stimulation.
[1913 Webster]
3. (Med.) A condition of morbid excitability or
oversensitiveness of an organ or part of the body; a state
in which the application of ordinary stimuli produces pain
or excessive or vitiated action.
[1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
irritation
n 1: the psychological state of being irritated or annoyed [syn:
annoyance, vexation, botheration]
2: a sudden outburst of anger; "his temper sparked like damp
firewood" [syn: pique, temper]
3: (pathology) abnormal sensitivity to stimulation; "any food
produced irritation of the stomach"
4: the neural or electrical arousal of an organ or muscle or
gland [syn: excitation, innervation]
5: an uncomfortable feeling in some part of the body [syn: discomfort,
soreness]
6: unfriendly behavior that causes anger or resentment [syn: aggravation,
provocation]
7: the act of troubling or annoying someone [syn: annoyance,
annoying, vexation]
WordNet (r) 2.0
100 Moby Thesaurus words for "irritation":
adverse circumstances, adversity, affliction, aggravation,
agitation, algesia, amplification, animation, annoyance, arousal,
arousing, augmentation, blight, bummer, care, chafe,
contentiousness, cross, curse, deepening, deliberate aggravation,
deterioration, difficulties, difficulty, disapprobation,
disapproval, discontent, displeasure, dissatisfaction, downer,
electrification, embittering, embitterment, enhancement,
enlargement, exacerbation, exasperation, excitation, excitement,
exhilaration, festering, firing, fomentation, fret, gall,
galvanization, hard knocks, hard life, hard lot, hardcase,
hardship, heightening, incitation, incitement, increase,
inflammation, infuriation, instigation, intensification, irritant,
lathering up, magnification, pep rally, pep talk, perturbation,
plight, predicament, pressure, provocation, rabble-rousing,
rankling, resentfulness, resentment, rigor, sea of troubles,
sensitiveness, sharpening, sore, sore spot, soreness, souring,
steaming up, stimulation, stimulus, stirring, stirring up,
stirring-up, stress, stress of life, tenderness, trial,
tribulation, trouble, troubles, vale of tears, vexation,
vicissitude, whipping up, working up, worsening
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0
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