irritate
part of speech
verb (irritate, irritates, irritated, irritating)
meaning for a pupil
1) To irritate someone is to annoy them or make them a bit angry, often by doing something again and again. tree →
2) To irritate part of the body, such as skin or eyes, is to make it sore, itchy or red. tree →
sense in the lessons
In everyday life and stories, «irritate» shows mild annoyance: a buzzing fly or a humming brother. In health and safety, some soaps, plants, smoke and chemicals irritate the skin or eyes, so we wear gloves or goggles. Common phrases: «irritate the skin», «irritate the eyes», «it irritates me when…», «get irritated», «irritating habit».
examples
- It really irritates me when people chew loudly. tree →
- My brother hummed just to irritate me. tree →
- Smoke from the bonfire irritated my eyes. tree →
- This wool jumper irritates my skin. tree →
- The teacher was irritated by the constant tapping. tree →
- Some cleaning sprays can irritate your lungs, so open a window. tree →
- Stinging nettles irritate your skin and make little bumps. tree →
- “Don’t irritate him unnecessarily,” had been Wendy’s instructions in the hold; so Tootles stepped forward politely. tree →
note
Regular verb: irritated, irritating. «Irritated» = how you feel (I was irritated); «irritating» = what causes it (an irritating noise). Noun: «irritation». «Irritant» is a substance that irritates, a word seen on hazard labels. It is milder than «enrage» or «infuriate».
In the corpora
- A sneeze is a reflex that blasts air out of the nose and mouth to clear something irritating, like dust or pepper.
- Ants and nettles inject formic acid and other chemicals that irritate the nerves in your skin.
- Smoke irritates the airways; homes and cars should be smoke-free, and smoking out of the window is not enough.
- Toothpaste can irritate skin, and doctors don't recommend it for spots.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «irritate» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.