irritation Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun the psychological state of being irritated or annoyed
    botheration; annoyance; vexation.
  2. noun a sudden outburst of anger
    pique; temper.
    • his temper sparked like damp firewood
  3. noun (pathology) abnormal sensitivity to stimulation
    • any food produced irritation of the stomach
  4. noun the neural or electrical arousal of an organ or muscle or gland
    innervation; excitation.
  5. noun an uncomfortable feeling of mental painfulness or distress
    soreness; discomfort.
  6. noun unfriendly behavior that causes anger or resentment
    aggravation; provocation.
  7. noun the act of troubling or annoying someone
    annoyance; annoying; vexation.

WordNet

Ir`ri*ta"tion noun
Etymology
L. irritatio: cf. F. irritation.
Definitions
  1. The act of irritating, or exciting, or the state of being irritated; excitement; stimulation, usually of an undue and uncomfortable kind; especially, excitement of anger or passion; provocation; annoyance; anger.
    The whole body of the arts and sciences composes one vast machinery for the irritation and development of the human intellect. De Quincey.
  2. (Physiol.) The act of exciting, or the condition of being excited to action, by stimulation; -- as, the condition of an organ of sense, when its nerve is affected by some external body; esp., the act of exciting muscle fibers to contraction, by artificial stimulation; as, the irritation of a motor nerve by electricity; also, the condition of a muscle and nerve, under such stimulation.
  3. (Med.) A condition of morbid excitability or oversensitiveness of an organ or part of the body; a state in which the application of ordinary stimuli produces pain or excessive or vitiated action.

Webster 1913