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irritable
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
irritable
adjective
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
irritable bowel syndrome
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ NOUN
bowel
▪ The physiological significance of the findings in diarrhoea predominant irritable bowel syndrome patients, which were contrary to expectation, is unknown.
▪ The first four symptoms encompass the six Manning criteria for diagnosing irritable bowel syndrome.
▪ It is not difficult to imagine how a disorder such as irritable bowel syndrome could affect a patient psychologically.
▪ An extra tablespoon sprinkled over the breakfast cereal can help control irritable bowel syndrome, piles, appendicitis and bowel cancer.
▪ This study lacked objective or prospective data and was biased by the exclusion from the controls of people with irritable bowel syndrome.
▪ This was not necessary with irritable bowel syndrome symptoms as their prevalence does not change with age in this population.
▪ It also inhibits motor activity induced by rectal distention and increases sensory thresholds for defaecation in patients with the irritable bowel syndrome.
▪ The same drug given intravenously prevents the postprandial increase in sigmoid segmenting pressure activity in patients with irritable bowel syndrome.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪ Since Steve quit smoking, he's been really irritable.
▪ You're turning into an irritable old man.
▪ Zoe hadn't had much sleep and was feeling tired and irritable.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ In his cabin Stubb wonders what makes the Captain so irritable and restless.
▪ It made him angry and irritable.
▪ Poor boy, she thought, away from his loving home and now dumped with an irritable old man.
▪ She had always been irritable, even in sanity, when she could look after herself.
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Irritable

Irritable \Ir"ri*ta*ble\, a. [L. irritabilis: cf. F. irritable. See Irritate.]

  1. Capable of being irritated.

  2. Very susceptible of anger or passion; easily inflamed or exasperated; as, an irritable temper.

    Vicious, old, and irritable.
    --Tennyson.

  3. (Physiol.) Endowed with irritability; susceptible of irritation; capable of being excited to action by the application of certain stimuli.

  4. (Med.) Susceptible of irritation; unduly sensitive to irritants or stimuli. See Irritation, n., 3.

    Syn: Excitable; irascible; touchy; fretful; peevish.

Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
irritable

1660s, from French irritable and directly from Latin irritabilis "easily excited," from irritare (see irritate). Related: Irritably.

Wiktionary
irritable

a. 1 Capable of being irritated. 2 Easily exasperated or excited. 3 Responsive to stimuli.

WordNet
irritable
  1. adj. easily irritated or annoyed; "an incorrigibly fractious young man"; "not the least nettlesome of his countrymen" [syn: cranky, fractious, nettlesome, peevish, peckish, pettish, petulant, testy, tetchy, techy]

  2. abnormally sensitive to a stimulus

  3. capable of responding to stimuli [syn: excitable]

Wikipedia

Usage examples of "irritable".

She frequently complained of headache, and when she was exceedingly irritable and violent all the athetoid movements would be intensified.

Perhaps a dozen more such lines as the following would reduce the most irritable of critics to a state of inaction.

Most physiologists believe that in irritable plants the excitement is transmitted along, or in close connection with, the fibrovascular bundles.

Over the course of the following two weeks, Magali became increasingly irritable, not asking things of Hota so much as giving orders and expressing her displeasure when he was slow to obey.

In all diseases involving the female reproductive organs, with which there is usually associated an irritable condition of the nervous system, it is unsurpassed as a remedy.

Prior to the development of the spasmodic affection, there is usually a period in which the sufferer notes a want of appetite, languidness, with disinclination towards mental or bodily pursuits, headache, restlessness, pains in the limbs and joints, with irritable temper and weakness of memory.

Battles in boardrooms made him irritable, and he found them endlessly boring.

She wanted to forget, and to make him forget, the months of irritable jangling and sharp discussions, the months of cold aloofness and indifference and to remember only that he was her own dear Comus as in the days of yore, before he had grown from an unmanageable pickle into a weariful problem.

The hardships and annoyances that we endured made everybody else cross and irritable.

In those days Sir Orlando was unhappy and irritable, doubtful of further success as regarded the Coalition, but quite resolved to put the house down about the ears of the inhabitants rather than to leave it with gentle resignation.

When Ivor Glantz had returned six weeks ago from an extended lecture tour of South and Central America, explaining his new bacteriological techniques to major universities, he had been tired and irritable and aching for rest.

Notwithstanding his concessions, he blamed Sidney for the girl's leaving home, and, as his mood grew more irritable, the more hopeless it seemed that Clara would return, he nursed the suspicion of treacherous behaviour on Sidney's part.

As there is nothing more irritable than the feelings of a culinary artist, I was expecting a sharp answer.

Most of the admissions were in a state of shock, and while some of them were silent and uncaring of what was happening around them there were several who were restless and irritable.

It was nearing ten o’clock and the aproned waiters were growing irritable.