Irascible

Irritable; short-tempered; easily annoyed

adjective

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Imagine This

The teacher gets annoyed at every little mistake her students make, even mistakes that can be erased and corrected.

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Sounds Like

ih-RASS-uh-buhl

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Looks Like

Erasable (can be removed)

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Remember This

The root 'ira' meaning anger comes from Latin; 'irascible' relates to becoming angry. The related noun forms include 'irascibility' and 'irascibleness'.

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Other Forms

irascibilitynoun

irasciblenessnoun

irasciblyadverb

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Connect With

irritable, temper, mood, cantankerous, short-tempered, even-tempered (antonym), patient

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Note

Used to describe a person’s temperament. It is more formal than words like cranky or grouchy. Commonly describes quickness to anger rather than chronic hostility.

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Study Deeper

Examples

The irascible professor often snapped at students for the smallest interruptions.
His irascible temper made family dinners tense after a long day at work.

Synonyms

irritabletestyshort-temperedcantankerouscranky

Antonyms

even-temperedpatientcalm

Etymology

From Latin irasci 'to become angry', from ira 'anger'; formed in English in the 16th century.

Mnemonic

I-RAGE-ABLE: Imagine a person who is easily angered and 'able to rage' at the slightest provocation.

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