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Irritable synonyms

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sensitive
Aware of or careful about the attitudes, feelings, or circumstances of others:
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  1. Aware of or careful about the attitudes, feelings, or circumstances of others:
  2. Easily hurt, upset, or offended:
  3. Capable of perceiving with a sense or senses:
irascible
Prone to outbursts of temper; easily angered.
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  1. Prone to outbursts of temper; easily angered.
  2. Characterized by or resulting from anger.
  3. Showing or resulting from a quick temper or a fit of anger
touchy
Requiring special tact or skill in handling; delicate:
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  1. Requiring special tact or skill in handling; delicate:
  2. Highly sensitive to touch. Used of a body part.
  3. Tending to take offense with slight cause; oversensitive.
testy
Irritable; touchy; peevish
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  1. Irritable; touchy; peevish
  2. Irritated, impatient, or exasperated; peevish:
ill-tempered
Having or showing a bad temper; quarrelsome; sullen; irritable
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  1. Having or showing a bad temper; quarrelsome; sullen; irritable
huffy
Angered or offended
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  1. Angered or offended
  2. Irritated or annoyed; indignant.
  3. Easily offended; touchy.
peevish
Contrary; fractious.
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  1. Contrary; fractious.
  2. Showing ill humor or impatience, as a glance or remark
  3. Hard to please; irritable; fretful; cross
petulant
(Obs.) Forward or insolent
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  1. (Obs.) Forward or insolent
  2. Contemptuous in speech or behavior.
  3. Impatient or irritable, esp. over petty things; peevish
fractious
Peevish; irritable; cross
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  1. Peevish; irritable; cross
  2. Hard to manage; unruly; rebellious; refractory
  3. Given to troublemaking
tense
(Linguistics) Enunciated with taut muscles, as the sound (ē) in keen.
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  1. (Linguistics) Enunciated with taut muscles, as the sound (ē) in keen.
  2. Feeling, showing, or causing mental strain; anxious
  3. (Phonet.) Articulated with the jaw and tongue muscles relatively rigid
high-strung
Highly sensitive or nervous and tense
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  1. Highly sensitive or nervous and tense
  2. Tending to be very anxious and easily agitated.
  3. Nervous; anxious; excited or excitable.
contentious
Always ready to argue; quarrelsome
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  1. Always ready to argue; quarrelsome
  2. Involving or causing contention; controversial:
  3. Given to contention; quarrelsome.
disputatious
Inclined to dispute; fond of arguing; contentious
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  1. Inclined to dispute; fond of arguing; contentious
  2. Inclined to argue or debate; provoking debate.
  3. Of or relating to something that is in question as to its value or intent.
resentful
Feeling or showing resentment
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  1. Feeling or showing resentment
  2. Full of, characterized by, or inclined to feel indignant ill will.
  3. Harboring resentment, full of resentment, at a given moment.
carping
Tending to carp, or find fault; captious
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  1. Tending to carp, or find fault; captious
  2. Naggingly critical or complaining.
crabbed
Peevish; morose; cross
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  1. Peevish; morose; cross
  2. Hard to understand because intricate or complicated
  3. (Of handwriting) Crowded together and difficult to read.
hypercritical
Meticulously or excessively critical.
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  1. Meticulously or excessively critical.
  2. Too critical; too severe in judgment; hard to please
bearish
Resembling or likened to a bear, typically in being rough, surly, or clumsy.
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  1. Resembling or likened to a bear, typically in being rough, surly, or clumsy.
  2. Resembling or similar to a bear in appearance or manner.
  3. Bearlike; rude, rough, surly, etc.
quick-tempered
Easily aroused to anger.
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  1. Easily aroused to anger.
  2. (Usually said of a person, but sometimes of an animal) Easily or quickly angered or frustrated.
short-tempered
Easily or quickly moved to anger; irascible.
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  1. Easily or quickly moved to anger; irascible.
  2. Of or pertaining to a person who is easily angered, who is known to frequently lose his or her temper.
choleric
Showing or expressing anger:
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  1. Showing or expressing anger:
  2. Having or showing a quick temper or irascible nature
  3. (--- Archaic) Having choler as the dominant humor in terms of medieval physiology.
splenetic
(Obs.) Melancholy
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  1. (Obs.) Melancholy
  2. Bad-tempered, irritable, peevish, spiteful, etc.; spleenful
  3. Affected or marked by ill humor or irritability.
glum
Gloomy; dismal.
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  1. Gloomy; dismal.
  2. Moody and melancholy; dejected.
  3. Feeling or looking gloomy, sullen, or morose
brooding
(Of a bird) Broody; incubating eggs by sitting on them.
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  1. (Of a bird) Broody; incubating eggs by sitting on them.
  2. Deeply or seriously thoughtful.
dissatisfied
Showing dissatisfaction
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  1. Showing dissatisfaction
  2. Not satisfied (with the quality of something)
  3. Feeling or displaying disappointment or a lack of contentment
plaintive
Sounding sorrowful, mournful or melancholic.
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  1. Sounding sorrowful, mournful or melancholic.
  2. Expressing sorrow or melancholy; mournful; sad
gloomy
Showing or filled with gloom:
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  1. Showing or filled with gloom:
  2. Affected with, or expressing, gloom; melancholy; dejected.
  3. Partially or totally dark, especially dismal and dreary:
ill-natured
Bad-tempered, irritable or malevolent
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  1. Bad-tempered, irritable or malevolent
  2. Spiteful; nasty:
  3. Having a disagreeable, irritable, or malevolent disposition.
morose
Sullenly melancholy; gloomy.
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  1. Sullenly melancholy; gloomy.
  2. Characterized by gloom
  3. Ill-tempered; gloomy, sullen, etc.
moody
Subject to or characterized by gloomy, sullen moods or changes of mood
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  1. Subject to or characterized by gloomy, sullen moods or changes of mood
  2. Given to frequent changes of mood; temperamental.
  3. Subject to periods of depression; sulky.
fidgety
Tending to fidget.
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  1. Tending to fidget.
  2. Creating unnecessary fuss.
  3. Having, or pertaining to, a tendency to fidget.
snappish
Irritable and curt:
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  1. Irritable and curt:
  2. Likely to snap or bite, as a dog.
  3. Cross or irritable, uncivil; sharp-tongued
waspish
Indicative of irritation, annoyance, or spite:
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  1. Indicative of irritation, annoyance, or spite:
  2. Easily irritated or annoyed; irascible.
  3. Having a slender waist, like a wasp
cantankerous
Difficult to handle:
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  1. Difficult to handle:
  2. Given to or marked by an ill-tempered nature, ill-tempered, cranky, surly, crabby.
  3. Note: Cantankerous is generally used to describe an unpleasant elderly person in a slightly pejorative manner. However, the term can be used to people in general, livestock, and machinery as well.
crotchety
Cantankerous or eccentric
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  1. Cantankerous or eccentric
  2. Capriciously stubborn or eccentric; perverse.
  3. Cranky, disagreeable, or stubborn, especially if prone to odd whims or fancies.
captious
Intended to entrap or confuse, as in an argument:
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  1. Intended to entrap or confuse, as in an argument:
  2. Fond of catching others in mistakes; quick to find fault; quibbling; carping
  3. Made only for the sake of argument or faultfinding
fretful
Unable to relax; fidgety or restless
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  1. Unable to relax; fidgety or restless
  2. Inclined to be vexed or troubled; peevish.
  3. Having or showing a tendency to fret; irritable and discontented; peevish
querulous
Inclined to find fault; complaining
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  1. Inclined to find fault; complaining
  2. Given to complaining; peevish.
  3. Full of complaint; peevish
hypersensitive
Abnormally or excessively sensitive
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  1. Abnormally or excessively sensitive
  2. Highly or excessively sensitive.
  3. Highly or abnormally sensitive to a stimulus, especially to some allergen.
ill-humored
Having a bad temper
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  1. Having a bad temper
  2. Irritable in a surly manner.
annoyed
Troubled, irritated by something unwanted or unliked; vexed.
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  1. Troubled, irritated by something unwanted or unliked; vexed.
cross
Showing ill humor; annoyed.
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  1. Showing ill humor; annoyed.
  2. Lying or passing crosswise; intersecting:
  3. Involving reciprocal actions, etc.
cranky
Not in perfect mental working order; eccentric, peculiar.
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  1. Not in perfect mental working order; eccentric, peculiar.
  2. (Archaic) Full of spirit; spirited.
  3. Grouchy, irritable; easily upset.
churlish
Of, like, or befitting a churl; boorish or vulgar.
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  1. Of, like, or befitting a churl; boorish or vulgar.
  2. (Of soil) difficult to till, lacking pliancy; unmanageable
  3. (Now Rare) Hard to work or manage
grouchy
In a bad-tempered or sulky mood; grumpy
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  1. In a bad-tempered or sulky mood; grumpy
  2. Tending to complain or grumble; peevish or grumpy.
gruff
Having a rough, surly, and harsh demeanor and nature.
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  1. Having a rough, surly, and harsh demeanor and nature.
  2. Brusque or stern in manner or appearance:
  3. Rough or surly in manner or speech; brusquely rude
short
Lacking in breadth or scope:
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  1. Lacking in breadth or scope:
  2. Containing a large amount of shortening; flaky:
  3. Easily provoked; irascible:
shrewish
Ill-tempered; nagging.
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  1. Ill-tempered; nagging.
  2. Of or pertaining to a shrew, a nagging, ill-tempered woman.
  3. Like a shrew in disposition; evil-tempered
sulky
Showing resentment or dissatisfaction by petulant or peevish withdrawal
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  1. Showing resentment or dissatisfaction by petulant or peevish withdrawal
  2. Gloomy; dismal; sullen
  3. (Often derogatory) silent and withdrawn after being upset
sullen
Sluggish; slow:
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  1. Sluggish; slow:
  2. Gloomy or somber in tone, color, or portent:
  3. Showing a brooding ill humor or silent resentment; morose or sulky.
crusty
Having, resembling, or being a crust:
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  1. Having, resembling, or being a crust:
  2. Outspoken and surly. Used especially of older people.
  3. Rough and outspoken; not patient, kindly, or refined
snappy
(Informal) Irritable.
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  1. (Informal) Irritable.
  2. Smart or chic in appearance:
  3. (Informal) Brisk, vigorous, or lively
thin-skinned
Easily hurt by criticism, insults, etc.; sensitive
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  1. Easily hurt by criticism, insults, etc.; sensitive
  2. Used other than as an idiom: see thin,"Ž skinned.
  3. (Idiomatic) overly sensitive to criticism; quick to take offence; irritable; touchy
grumpy
Grouchy; peevish; bad-tempered
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  1. Grouchy; peevish; bad-tempered
  2. Surly and peevish; cranky.
bad-tempered
Alternative spelling of bad-tempered.
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  1. Alternative spelling of bad-tempered.
  2. Having a bad temper or cranky disposition; irritable
  3. Of or pertaining to bad temper; showing anger.
cantankerous
Given to or marked by an ill-tempered nature, ill-tempered, cranky, surly, crabby.
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  1. Given to or marked by an ill-tempered nature, ill-tempered, cranky, surly, crabby.
  2. Difficult to handle:
  3. Note: Cantankerous is generally used to describe an unpleasant elderly person in a slightly pejorative manner. However, the term can be used to people in general, livestock, and machinery as well.
crabbed
(Of handwriting) Crowded together and difficult to read.
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  1. (Of handwriting) Crowded together and difficult to read.
  2. Difficult to understand; complicated.
  3. Peevish; morose; cross
cranky
Not in perfect mental working order; eccentric, peculiar.
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  1. Not in perfect mental working order; eccentric, peculiar.
  2. Grouchy, irritable; easily upset.
  3. Irritable; cross
cross
Going counter; contrary; opposed
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  1. Going counter; contrary; opposed
  2. Involving reciprocal actions, etc.
  3. Lying or passing crosswise; intersecting:
fretful
Having or showing a tendency to fret; irritable and discontented; peevish
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  1. Having or showing a tendency to fret; irritable and discontented; peevish
  2. Inclined to be vexed or troubled; peevish.
  3. Marked by worry and distress; troublesome:
grouchy
In a bad-tempered or sulky mood; grumpy
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  1. In a bad-tempered or sulky mood; grumpy
  2. Tending to complain or grumble; peevish or grumpy.
grumpy
Grouchy; peevish; bad-tempered
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  1. Grouchy; peevish; bad-tempered
  2. Surly and peevish; cranky.
ill-tempered
Having or showing a bad temper; quarrelsome; sullen; irritable
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  1. Having or showing a bad temper; quarrelsome; sullen; irritable
irascible
Characterized by or resulting from anger.
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  1. Characterized by or resulting from anger.
  2. Prone to outbursts of temper; easily angered.
  3. Showing or resulting from a quick temper or a fit of anger
nasty
Very dangerous, troublesome, grievous, etc.
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  1. Very dangerous, troublesome, grievous, etc.
  2. Exasperatingly difficult to solve or handle:
  3. Mean; malicious; ill-humored
peevish
Contrary; fractious.
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  1. Contrary; fractious.
  2. Showing ill humor or impatience, as a glance or remark
  3. Hard to please; irritable; fretful; cross
petulant
Unreasonably irritable or ill-tempered; peevish.
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  1. Unreasonably irritable or ill-tempered; peevish.
  2. Contemptuous in speech or behavior.
  3. Impatient or irritable, esp. over petty things; peevish
querulous
Given to complaining; peevish.
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  1. Given to complaining; peevish.
  2. Full of complaint; peevish
  3. Inclined to find fault; complaining
snappish
Irritable and curt:
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  1. Irritable and curt:
  2. Likely to snap or bite, as a dog.
  3. Cross or irritable, uncivil; sharp-tongued
snappy
(Informal) Brisk, vigorous, or lively
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  1. (Informal) Brisk, vigorous, or lively
  2. (Informal) Irritable.
  3. Snappish; cross
surly
Bad-tempered; sullenly rude; hostile and uncivil
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  1. Bad-tempered; sullenly rude; hostile and uncivil
  2. Threatening, as of weather conditions; ominous:
  3. Threatening, menacing, gloomy.
testy
Irritable; touchy; peevish
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  1. Irritable; touchy; peevish
  2. Irritated, impatient, or exasperated; peevish:
ugly
Marked by or inclined to anger or bad feelings; disagreeable:
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  1. Marked by or inclined to anger or bad feelings; disagreeable:
  2. Bad, vile, repulsive, offensive, objectionable, etc.
  3. (Informal) Ill-tempered; cross
waspish
Indicative of irritation, annoyance, or spite:
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  1. Indicative of irritation, annoyance, or spite:
  2. Easily irritated or annoyed; irascible.
  3. Having a slender waist, like a wasp
crabby
Crabbed; difficult, or perplexing.
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  1. Crabbed; difficult, or perplexing.
  2. Visibly irritated or annoyed; grouchy, irritable, in a foul mood; given to complaining or finding fault in an annoyed way.
  3. Cross and complaining; peevish; ill-tempered
mean
Expressing spite or malice:
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  1. Expressing spite or malice:
  2. (Slang) Hard to cope with; difficult or troublesome:
  3. Ignoble; base:

Synonym Study

  • Cranky and cross suggest moods in which one cannot be easily pleased or satisfied, cranky because of stubborn notions or whims, and cross because of ill humor
  • Touchy applies to one who is acutely irritable or sensitive and is too easily offended
  • Splenetic suggests a peevish moroseness in one quick to vent his malice or spite
  • Irascible and choleric are applied to persons who are hot-tempered and can be roused to a fit of anger at the slightest irritation
  • Irritable implies quick excitability to annoyance or anger, usually resulting from emotional tension, restlessness, physical indisposition, etc.
Find another word for irritable. In this page you can discover 96 synonyms, antonyms, idiomatic expressions, and related words for irritable, like: sensitive, irascible, touchy, testy, ill-tempered, huffy, peevish, petulant, fractious, tense and high-strung.

Sentence Examples

  • His temper was irritable, his habits penurious and solitary.

  • She is never fretful or irritable, and I have never seen her impatient with her playmates because they failed to understand her.

  • He could, never forgive Gustavus for having forestalled the revolution, and his morbidly irritable and suspicious temper saw slights and insults in the most innocent conjunctures.

  • He grew still more irritable, and it was Princess Mary who generally bore the brunt of his frequent fits of unprovoked anger.

  • In the cough of phthisis minute doses are of service, but in this particular disease morphine is frequently better replaced by codeine or by heroin, which checks irritable coughs without the narcotism following upon the administration of morphine.

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