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irritates

VERB

upset, anger

Synonyms

STRONGEST

aggravate annoy bother confuse disturb enrage exasperate gall incense inflame infuriate irk offend peeve provoke rankle rattle rile sour vex

STRONG

abrade affront bug burn chafe distemper fret get grate harass madden needle nettle pain pester pique rasp roil ruffle try

WEAK

drive up the wall get on nerves get under skin put out rub the wrong way

Antonyms

STRONGEST

aid alleviate appease calm comfort delight encourage help make happy order organize pacify placate please soothe

STRONG

assist assuage mollify

VERB

hurt, chafe

Synonyms

STRONGEST

aggravate inflame sting

STRONG

burn erupt fret intensify itch pain redden rub sensitize sharpen swell

Antonyms

STRONGEST

alleviate appease soothe

STRONG

aid calm help please

WEAK

assist assuage delight

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

This irritates the Chinese authorities in Hong Kong and Beijing to no end.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 27, 2025

Traditional oral iron supplements can help, but they often leave behind unabsorbed iron that irritates the digestive tract and triggers inflammation.

From Science Daily • Oct. 20, 2025

Anything that goads and irritates the opposition is fair game.

From BBC • Jul. 17, 2024

I also suspect that far fewer of us would have been aware the episode even happened if Maher hadn’t dropped the term that reliably irritates cultural partisans into action.

From Salon • May 16, 2024

For some reason it really irritates her that he eats so much cereal.

From "Hello, Universe" by Erin Entrada Kelly