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
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Recent Examples of irritability
Stress may show up later as irritability, withdrawal, errors, or decision paralysis.
—
Paula Davis, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026
Watch for warning signs such as pale or reddened skin, shivering, irritability or tiredness.
—Katia Hetter, CNN Money, 26 Jan. 2026
So Mark initially came to me reporting symptoms of headache, memory loss, sleep difficulties, emotionality, and irritability.
—Scott Pelley, CBS News, 14 Jan. 2026
While largely benign, motion sickness can be highly unpleasant — often causing nausea, vomiting, and dizziness, as well as sweating, headache, and irritability in some cases.
—Emily Kay Votruba, EverydayHealth.com, 8 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for irritability
Paula Davis, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026
Watch for warning signs such as pale or reddened skin, shivering, irritability or tiredness.
—Katia Hetter, CNN Money, 26 Jan. 2026
So Mark initially came to me reporting symptoms of headache, memory loss, sleep difficulties, emotionality, and irritability.
—Scott Pelley, CBS News, 14 Jan. 2026
While largely benign, motion sickness can be highly unpleasant — often causing nausea, vomiting, and dizziness, as well as sweating, headache, and irritability in some cases.
—Emily Kay Votruba, EverydayHealth.com, 8 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for irritability
Recent Examples of Synonyms for irritability
Noun
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On Friday, the EU’s chief diplomat, Kaja Kallas, urged European leaders to stand up to Russian aggression.—
Azhar Sukri,
CNBC,
14 Feb. 2026
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The second half was a much different story as Punch maintained his confidence and aggression.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Way, meanwhile, enjoys watching Katie’s aggressiveness.—
Jeff Vorva,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Feb. 2026
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Errington has an endearing likability and a sense of mischief, but more aggressiveness and overconfidence would better suit the character.—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The manipulations also affected how much sadness and anger participants reported feeling while scrolling.—
Simon Makin,
Scientific American,
13 Feb. 2026
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Meanwhile, Iran at home faces still-simmering anger over its wide-ranging suppression of all dissent in the Islamic Republic.—
Jon Gambrell,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The most common symptoms of teething include drooling, putting fingers or fists in their mouth, swollen or puffy gums, difficulty sleeping, crankiness and fussiness, per the institution.—
Ryan Brennan,
Miami Herald,
19 Sep. 2025
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At one point, her crankiness about being underappreciated for her domestic efforts is blamed, without irony, on her period.—
Inkoo Kang,
New Yorker,
8 Aug. 2025
Noun
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When the estrogen hormone declines during perimenopause, the body’s insulin sensitivity decreases, too, which affects overall metabolism.—
Alexa Mikhail,
Flow Space,
13 Feb. 2026
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But the price sensitivity of consumers for weight loss drugs remains a big unknown, which makes greater volumes and more access points important.—
Annika Kim Constantino,Elsa Ohlen,
CNBC,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
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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
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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
Noun
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Florida has had enough of pettiness, politic stunts and petulance.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
14 Jan. 2026
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But six months on against Liverpool, Paqueta’s petulance is a slap in the face to everyone associated with West Ham.—
Roshane Thomas,
New York Times,
1 Dec. 2025
Noun
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Instead, an arcane academic skirmish has devolved into open hostilities.—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
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Fox News Digital reviewed internal Signal chat messages from Seattle-area rapid response groups showing that the rejection of whistles triggered open hostility.—
Asra Q. Nomani,
FOXNews.com,
7 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Irritability.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/irritability. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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