irritability
/ˌɪɹɪtəˈbɪlɪti/ noun
Forms irritabilities
- noun The state or quality of being irritable; quick excitability. “irritability of temper”
- noun (physiology) 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.
- noun (medicine) A condition of morbid excitability of an organ or part of the body; undue susceptibility to the influence of stimuli.
Synonyms
petulance fretfulness crossness fussiness peevishness choler excitability temper biliousness pettishness snappishness surliness
Etymology
From Latin irritabilitās, equivalent to irritable + -ity.
Webster’s 1913
- noun The state or quality of being irritable; quick excitability; petulance; fretfulness; as, irritability of temper.
- noun 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.
Etymology [L. irritabilitas: cf. F. irritabilité.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “irritability”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details