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irritate - 20 thesaurus results
| Main Entry: | irritate |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | upset, anger |
| Synonyms: | abrade, affront, aggravate, annoy, bother, bug*, burn*, chafe, confuse, distemper, disturb, enrage, exasperate, fret, gall, get, grate, harass, incense, inflame, infuriate, irk, madden, needle*, nettle, offend, pain, peeve, pester, pique, provoke, put out, rankle, rasp, rattle, rile, roil, rub the wrong way*, ruffle, sour, try, vex, drive up the wall, get on nerves, get under skin |
| Notes: | aggravate means 'to add to' an already troublesome or vexing matter or condition while irritate means 'to vex, annoy, or chafe' irritate means 'inflame' (originally 'excite, rouse'); aggravate means 'worsen' |
| Antonyms: | aid, assuage, delight, help, please |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | irritate |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | hurt, chafe |
| Synonyms: | aggravate, burn, erupt, fret, inflame, intensify, itch, pain, redden, rub, sensitize, sharpen, sting, swell |
| Antonyms: | aid, assist, calm, help, soothe |
| Main Entry: | anger |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | make someone mad; become mad |
| Synonyms: | acerbate, affront, aggravate, agitate, annoy, antagonize, arouse, bait, blow up*, boil over*, boil*, bristle, burn, burn up, chafe, craze*, cross, displease, egg on*, embitter, enrage, exacerbate, exasperate, excite, fret, gall, get mad, get on one's nerves, goad, incense, inflame, infuriate, irritate, lose one's temper, madden, make sore, miff, nettle, offend, outrage, pique, provoke, raise hell, rankle, rant, rave, rile, ruffle, seethe, steam up*, stew, stir up, tempt, umbrage, vex |
| Antonyms: | calm, forbear, make happy, quiet, soothe |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | antagonize |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | cause problem; oppose |
| Synonyms: | alienate, anger, annoy, counteract, estrange, insult, irritate, neutralize, offend, repel, struggle, work against |
| Antonyms: | agree, aid, help |
| Main Entry: | chagrin |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | cause displeasure |
| Synonyms: | abash, annoy, confuse, crush, discomfit, discompose, disconcert, disgrace, dismay, displease, disquiet, dissatisfy, embarrass, humiliate, irk, irritate, mortify, peeve, perturb, shame, upset, vex |
| Antonyms: | delight, please, make happy |
| Main Entry: | discompose |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | provoke, agitate |
| Synonyms: | annoy, bewilder, bother, confuse, discomfit, disconcert, dismay, disorganize, displease, disquiet, disturb, embarrass, faze, flurry, fluster, harass, harry, irk, irritate, nettle, perplex, perturb, pester, plague, rattle, ruffle, unhinge, unsettle, upset, vex, worry, discombobulate |
| Antonyms: | calm, compose, soothe |
| Main Entry: | displease |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | make unhappy |
| Synonyms: | aggravate, anger, annoy, antagonize, bother, cap, chagrin, cool, curdle*, disappoint, discontent, disgust, disoblige, dissatisfy, enrage, exasperate, fret, frustrate, gall, hurt, incense, irk, irritate, nettle, offend, perplex, pique, play dirty, provoke, put out, repel, revolt, rile, roil, sound, turn off*, upset, vex, wing*, worry, zing*, cut to the quick, disgruntle |
| Antonyms: | appease, calm, compose, delight, humor, please, satisfy, make happy |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | distress |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | worry, upset |
| Synonyms: | afflict, aggrieve, agonize, ail, be on one's case, bother, break, bug, burn up, depress, desolate, discombobulate, disquiet, disturb, do a number on, dog*, eat*, get to*, get*, give a hard time, grieve, harass, harry, hound, hurt, injure, irk, irritate, make it tough for, miff, nag, needle, nit-pick, oppress, pain, peeve, perplex, pester, pick on, plague, push, push buttons, rack, sadden, strain, strap, stress, tick off*, torment, torture, trouble, try, vex, weigh, wound |
| Antonyms: | assist, calm, comfort, help, soothe |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | embitter |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | upset, alienate |
| Synonyms: | acerbate, aggravate, anger, annoy, bitter, bother, disaffect, disillusion, exacerbate, exasperate, irritate, poison, sour, venom, worsen, acidulate, envenom, make bitter, make resentful |
| Antonyms: | calm, comfort, pacify, make happy |
| Main Entry: | enrage |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | make very upset |
| Synonyms: | aggravate, anger, exasperate, hack*, incense, incite, inflame, infuriate, ire, irritate, madden, needle, provoke, rile, umbrage, whip up*, T-off, ask for it, get under skin, make blood boil, make see red, steam up* |
| Antonyms: | appease, calm, compose, pacify, placate, please, soothe |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | exacerbate |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | infuriate; make worse |
| Synonyms: | add insult to injury*, aggravate, annoy, egg on*, embitter, enrage, envenom, exasperate, excite, fan the flames, feed the fire, go from bad to worse, heat up, heighten, hit on*, increase, inflame, intensify, irritate, madden, provoke, push one's button, rattle one's cage, rub salt in a wound, vex, worsen |
| Antonyms: | aid, calm, comfort, help, soothe |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | exasperate |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | upset, provoke |
| Synonyms: | T-off, aggravate, agitate, anger, annoy, bug*, disturb, drive up the wall, embitter, enrage, exacerbate, excite, gall, get under one's skin, get*, incense, inflame, infuriate, irk, irritate, madden, make waves, needle*, nettle, peeve, pique, rankle, rile, roil, rouse, try the patience of, vex, work up |
| Antonyms: | calm, comfort, ease, placate, please, soothe |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | excite |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | inspire; upset |
| Synonyms: | accelerate, agitate, amaze, anger, animate, annoy, arouse, astound, awaken, bother, chafe, delight, discompose, disturb, electrify, elicit, energize, evoke, fire, fluster, foment, galvanize, goad, incite, induce, inflame, infuriate, instigate, intensify, irritate, jar, jolt, kindle, madden, mock, move, offend, precipitate, provoke, quicken, rouse, start, stimulate, taunt, tease, thrill, titillate, vex, warm, whet, work up, worry, feed the fire, stir up, touch off, wake up, waken |
| Antonyms: | bore, calm, compose, deaden, lull, moderate, pacify, quiet, repress, tranquilize |
| Main Entry: | faze |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | embarrass |
| Synonyms: | abash, annoy, appall, bother, confound, confuse, daunt, discomfit, disconcert, discountenance, dismay, dumbfound, horrify, irritate, muddle, mystify, nonplus, perplex, puzzle, rattle, vex |
| Main Entry: | goad |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | egg on, incite |
| Synonyms: | animate, annoy, arouse, bully, coerce, drive, encourage, excite, exhort, force, harass, hound, impel, instigate, irritate, lash, move, needle*, press, prick*, prod, prompt, propel, provoke, push, sound, spark*, spur, stimulate, sting*, tease, thrust, trigger, turn on*, urge, whip*, work up, worry, fire up, goose*, inspirit, key up, put up to, rowel, sic |
| Antonyms: | discourage, dissuade |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | harass |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | badger |
| Synonyms: | annoy, attack, bait, bedevil, beleaguer, bother, bug*, bullyrag*, burn*, despoil, devil*, distress, disturb, eat*, exasperate, exhaust, fatigue, foray, get to*, give a bad time, give a hard time, gnaw*, harry, hassle, heckle, hound*, intimidate, irk, irritate, jerk around, macerate, maraud, noodge, pain*, perplex, persecute, pester, plague, raid, rattle one's cage, ride, strain, stress, tease, tire, torment, trouble, try, vex, weary, work on, worry |
| Antonyms: | aid, assist, facilitate, help, support |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | harry |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | pester, annoy |
| Synonyms: | attack, badger, bedevil, beleaguer, devastate, disturb, fret, gnaw, harass, hassle, irk, irritate, molest, persecute, perturb, pillage, plague, plunder, ravage, sack, tease, torment, trouble, upset, vex, worry, chivy, depredate, lay waste |
| Antonyms: | aid, assist, help, support |
| Main Entry: | henpeck |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | nag |
| Synonyms: | badger, berate, bother, bug*, bully, carp, fuss, harass, hector, hound, intimidate, irritate, needle, pester, pick on*, ride, scold, torment, give a hard time |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | incense |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | make very angry |
| Synonyms: | anger, ask for it, bother, disgust, egg on*, enrage, exasperate, excite, fire up, get a rise out of, get under one's skin, inflame, infuriate, ire, irritate, mad, madden, make blood boil, make see red, provoke, rile, umbrage |
| Antonyms: | calm, comfort, please |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | inflame |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | anger, aggravate |
| Synonyms: | agitate, annoy, arouse, burn, disturb, embitter, enrage, exacerbate, exasperate, excite, fan, fire, foment, gall, get*, grate, heat, ignite, incense, increase, infuriate, intensify, irritate, kindle, light, madden, provoke, put out*, rile, roil, rouse, stimulate, vex, worsen, fire up, heat up, impassion, intoxicate, steam up |
| Antonyms: | alleviate, appease, cool, pacify, placate, put out, quench, soothe, tranquilize |
* = informal/non-formal usage
Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition
Copyright © 2009 by the Philip Lief Group.
Cite This Source
Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition
Copyright © 2009 by the Philip Lief Group.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2009, Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.

