1. Causing irritation or annoyance
   "an irritating delay";
   - annoying, bothersome, galling, nettlesome, pesky [informal], pestering, pestiferous, plaguy, plaguey, teasing, vexatious, vexing, irksome, niggly, dratted [informal], aggravating
    
2. Causing physical discomfort
   "bites of black flies are more than irritating: they can be very painful";
   - painful
    
3. (used of physical stimuli) serving to stimulate or excite
   "an irritating agent";
   - irritative

1. Cause annoyance, especially by persistent minor irritations
   "His constant interruptions irritate the entire team";
   - annoy, rag, get to, bother, get at [informal], rile, nark [Brit, slang], nettle, gravel [US], vex, chafe [archaic], devil, tick off [informal], roil [N. Amer]
    
2. Excite to an abnormal condition,, chafe or inflame
   "Aspirin irritates my stomach"
    
3. (physiology) excite to some characteristic action or condition, such as motion, contraction, or nervous impulse, by the application of a stimulus
   "irritate the glands of a leaf"

See also: disagreeable, stimulative, uncomfortable

Type of: aggravate, displease, exacerbate, exasperate, excite, stimulate, worsen

Antonym: soothe

Encyclopedia: Irritating