Irritation

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [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]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  irritation
       n 1: the psychological state of being irritated or annoyed [syn:
            {annoyance}, {vexation}, {botheration}]
       2: a sudden outburst of anger; "his temper sparked like damp
          firewood" [syn: {pique}, {temper}]
       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
          gland [syn: {excitation}, {innervation}]
       5: an uncomfortable feeling in some part of the body [syn: {discomfort},
           {soreness}]
       6: unfriendly behavior that causes anger or resentment [syn: {aggravation},
           {provocation}]
       7: the act of troubling or annoying someone [syn: {annoyance},
          {annoying}, {vexation}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  100 Moby Thesaurus words for "irritation":
     adverse circumstances, adversity, affliction, aggravation,
     agitation, algesia, amplification, animation, annoyance, arousal,
     arousing, augmentation, blight, bummer, care, chafe,
     contentiousness, cross, curse, deepening, deliberate aggravation,
     deterioration, difficulties, difficulty, disapprobation,
     disapproval, discontent, displeasure, dissatisfaction, downer,
     electrification, embittering, embitterment, enhancement,
     enlargement, exacerbation, exasperation, excitation, excitement,
     exhilaration, festering, firing, fomentation, fret, gall,
     galvanization, hard knocks, hard life, hard lot, hardcase,
     hardship, heightening, incitation, incitement, increase,
     inflammation, infuriation, instigation, intensification, irritant,
     lathering up, magnification, pep rally, pep talk, perturbation,
     plight, predicament, pressure, provocation, rabble-rousing,
     rankling, resentfulness, resentment, rigor, sea of troubles,
     sensitiveness, sharpening, sore, sore spot, soreness, souring,
     steaming up, stimulation, stimulus, stirring, stirring up,
     stirring-up, stress, stress of life, tenderness, trial,
     tribulation, trouble, troubles, vale of tears, vexation,
     vicissitude, whipping up, working up, worsening