irritation

Noun
Synonyms: annoyancevexationbotherationpiquetemperexcitationinnervationdiscomfortsorenessaggravationprovocationannoying

WordNet 3.0

Noun (7)

  1. the psychological state of being irritated or annoyedSynonyms: annoyancevexationbotheration
  2. a sudden outburst of anger“his temper sparked like damp firewood”Synonyms: piquetemper
  3. (pathology) abnormal sensitivity to stimulation“any food produced irritation of the stomach”
  4. the neural or electrical arousal of an organ or muscle or glandSynonyms: excitationinnervation
  5. an uncomfortable feeling of mental painfulness or distressSynonyms: discomfortsoreness
  6. unfriendly behavior that causes anger or resentmentSynonyms: aggravationprovocation
  7. the act of troubling or annoying someoneSynonyms: annoyanceannoyingvexation
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Webster's Dictionary (GCIDE)

Irritation \Ir`ri*ta"tion\, n. [L. irritatio: cf. F. irritation.] [1913 Webster]

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. [1913 Webster]

The whole body of the arts and sciences composes one vast machinery for the irritation and development of the human intellect.— De Quincey.[1913 Webster]

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. [1913 Webster]

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. [1913 Webster]

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