as in fiery
easily irritated or annoyed
that irritable old man always yells at people to stay off of his lawn
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of irritable
A day after an irritable TV interview went viral, an old video surfaced of the former Orange County congresswoman cursing and berating one of her aides.
—
Mark Z. Barabak, Mercury News, 3 Dec. 2025
Studies have found that people can feel anxious, irritable, angry or lethargic several hours after eating foods packed in refined carbohydrates and sugars.
—Michaeleen Doucleff, NPR, 24 Nov. 2025
Any mom who’s ever felt overstimulated, irritable, or exhausted will recognize the truth in this candid admission.
—Hannah Silverman, Parents, 15 Nov. 2025
Most cases clear up on their own without complications, but parents should contact a doctor if a child cannot keep fluids down, has a high fever lasting more than a few days or seems unusually drowsy or irritable.
—Katia Hetter, CNN Money, 29 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for irritable
Mark Z. Barabak, Mercury News, 3 Dec. 2025
Studies have found that people can feel anxious, irritable, angry or lethargic several hours after eating foods packed in refined carbohydrates and sugars.
—Michaeleen Doucleff, NPR, 24 Nov. 2025
Any mom who’s ever felt overstimulated, irritable, or exhausted will recognize the truth in this candid admission.
—Hannah Silverman, Parents, 15 Nov. 2025
Most cases clear up on their own without complications, but parents should contact a doctor if a child cannot keep fluids down, has a high fever lasting more than a few days or seems unusually drowsy or irritable.
—Katia Hetter, CNN Money, 29 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for irritable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for irritable
Adjective
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Rooted in their culture that values family, friendships and loyalty above everything else, emotions often take over as these fiery personalities navigate their highs, lows and everything in between.—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
29 Jan. 2026
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The necklace is a symbol of Taylor's fiery love story with Richard Burton.—
Rachel Burchfield,
InStyle,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Instead, Helen is allowed to be irritable and anti-social, chain-smoking and snappish, without the filmmaker casting judgment.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
2 Sep. 2025
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Harriette Cole: My twins are getting snappish over college acceptance Asking Eric: A cemetery guard ruined my father’s funeral, and that was just the start This includes stating your belief that your explanations may not be believed.—
Judith Martin,
Mercury News,
7 May 2025
Adjective
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As a ballplayer, Kent was as irascible as Bonds; the two alphas reportedly brawled behind clubhouse doors, and famously clashed in the dugout during a 2002 game, when Bonds lunged for Kent’s throat and pushed him against the wall.—
Jeremy Collins,
The Atlantic,
12 Dec. 2025
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Nothing adds depth to an irascible curmudgeon quite like an irrational love of pets that do not love you back.—
Kathryn VanArendonk,
Vulture,
3 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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While grunge seemed peevish, grim, defeatist, and dour—and extended the kind of us-vs.-them culture most famously centered by the indie rock of the ’80s and ’90s, Oasis was celebratory, communal, and democratic while exploring themes of alienation, escape, and fantasies of triumph.—
Corey Seymour,
Vogue,
28 July 2025
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Thousands of people — displaced by disaster, their past lives gone up in smoke — are hostage to the whims of a peevish president who always puts his feelings first and cares nothing for the greater good.—
Mark Z. Barabak,
Los Angeles Times,
22 June 2025
Adjective
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And who doesn’t relish the gothic details of an ancient manor and grumpy yet uniquely attractive duke that owns it?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Jan. 2026
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Then there was the grumpy forty-something.—
John Winsor,
Forbes.com,
20 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Flockhart is equally supportive of Ford, having expressed her joy at watching her husband’s performance as the grouchy, oft-deadpan therapist.—
Skyler Trepel,
PEOPLE,
28 Jan. 2026
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Today, a Luddite is your grandparent who keeps looking at the screen rather than the camera when on Zoom, the Boomer who types in all-capital letters, the grouchy man who refuses to get a smart phone, the professor spewing invective against Twitter, Facebook, and TikTok.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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But Trump is everything a president should never be: petty, petulant, vindictive, vulgar, indifferent to unwelcome facts, addicted to lying, ignorant of history and pathologically egotistic.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
19 Jan. 2026
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This petulant man, who wields awesome power, also has the nuclear codes.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
13 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Lucy Van Pelt Lucy is the crabby kid who always has something up her sleeve.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
6 Jan. 2026
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Leah stayed crabby through dinner.—
Kayla Grant,
PEOPLE,
1 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Irritable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/irritable. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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