irritability definition | Dictionary.com

Synonyms

acrimonious, cantankerous, caustic, choleric, churlish, dyspeptic, fractious, fretful, irascible, irritable, peevish, perverse

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irritability - 4 dictionary results

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ir⋅ri⋅ta⋅bil⋅i⋅ty

[ir-i-tuh-bil-i-tee]

–noun, plural -ties.

1.	the quality or state of being irritable.

2.	Physiology, Biology. the ability to be excited to a characteristic action or function by the application of some stimulus: Protoplasm displays irritability by responding to heat.

Origin:
1745–55; < L irrītābilitās. See irritable, -ity

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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ir·ri·ta·bil·i·ty (ĭr'ĭ-tə-bĭl'ĭ-tē) Pronunciation Key
n. pl. ir·ri·ta·bil·i·ties

The quality or state of being irritable; testiness or petulance.
Pathology Abnormal or excessive sensitivity of a body organ or part to a stimulus.
Physiology The capacity to respond to stimuli.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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irritability
noun
1.	an irritable petulant feeling
2.	excessive sensitivity of an organ or body part [syn: excitability]
3.	a disposition to exhibit uncontrolled anger; "his temper was well known to all his employees" [syn: temper]

WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
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Irritability

Ir`ri*ta*bil"i*ty\, n. [L. irritabilitas: cf. F. irritabilit['e].]

1. The state or quality of being irritable; quick excitability; petulance; fretfulness; as, irritability of temper.

2. (Physiol.) A natural susceptibility, characteristic of all living organisms, tissues, and cells, to the influence of certain stimuli, response being manifested in a variety of ways, -- as that quality in plants by which they exhibit motion under suitable stimulation; esp., the property which living muscle processes, of responding either to a direct stimulus of its substance, or to the stimulating influence of its nerve fibers, the response being indicated by a change of form, or contraction; contractility.

3. (Med.) A condition of morbid excitability of an organ or part of the body; undue susceptibility to the influence of stimuli. See Irritation, n., 3.