- irritate
- irritate, exasperate, nettle, provoke, aggravate, rile, peeve are comparable when meaning to excite a feeling of angry annoyance in a person.Something which irritates greatly displeases or offends and evokes a display of feeling ranging from momentary impatience to an outburst of rage{
the chattering crowd, with their rude jokes . . . irritated him sharply— Anderson
}{her intensity, which would leave no emotion on a normal plane, irritated the youth into a frenzy— D. H. Lawrence
}Something which exasperates arouses bitter or intense irritation. The word, however, sometimes expresses nothing more than keen vexation or annoyance{an opportunity to . . . aggravate his poor patient wife, and exasperate his children, and make himself generally obnoxious— Simeon Ford
}{though she could exasperate she could never offend— H. G. Wells
}Something which nettles irritates sharply but momentarily and stings or piques more than angers{a touch of light scorn in her voice nettled me—W. J. Locke
}Something which provokes awakens strong annoyance or vexation and often incites to action{a Tory resident who provoked local animosities and was charged with high treason— A mer. Guide Series: Conn.
}{they were definitely provoked to extremity before they did this deed— Ingamells
}{he is provoked with me for not talking more— Burney
}Something which aggravates (see also INTENSIFY) arouses displeasure, impatience, or anger often through prolonged or repeated action{nothing so aggravates an earnest person as a passive resistance— Melville
}{it is aggravating to have you talking about so small a business— Shaw
}Something which riles disturbs one's serenity or peace and agitates as well as angers{with raucous taunting and ribald remarks to rile up the proprietor— White
}Something which peeves excites often petty or querulous fretfulness or a tendency to be easily irritated{he is easily peeved after a restless night
}{when she ventured to criticize it, even mildly, he was peeved— Auchincloss
}
New Dictionary of Synonyms. 2014.
