figurative. That causes sharp mental pain or irritation, poignant; that goads or stimulates. Of speech: Biting, pungent.

Having the quality of provoking, inciting, or giving rise to a specified state, condition, etc. (sometimes with of, formerly also †to); spec.…

That irritates or annoys; provoking.

spec. Causing anger or irritation; annoying, exasperating, irritating.

provoking; provocative.

dialect. Of words: Taunting, irritating.

Exasperating, provoking; (in weakened use) irritating, annoying. Now chiefly colloquial.

That irritates, in various senses: see the verb.

That causes or is characterized by pique; provoking, irritating; intriguing.

= nagging, adj.; (English regional (northern)) ill-natured, bad-tempered.

Of a nature to exasperate or irritate; exasperating.

Irritating; irritable; ill-tempered; sharp, waspish. Cf. raspy, adj. 2.

That exasperates (in senses of the verb); exceedingly irritating or provoking.

That finds fault, complains, or scolds persistently.

Annoying, irritating, irksome.

Calculated or tending to provoke; = provocative, adj.

Having the quality of causing mental irritation; tending to irritate; annoying, irritating.

That enrages; provoking, exasperating. (So French enrageant.)

Causing irritation, physical or (rarely) mental; irritating. Chiefly in Pathology, of poisons, etc.

Of a nagging character or type.

That provokes antagonism, annoyance, or hostility; antagonistic, irritating.

Teasing, irritating.

Characteristic of or resembling a sod (sod, n.3, chiefly in sense 2a); disgraceful, awful; irritating, annoying.

Originally U.S. Insignificant, contemptible, paltry; irritating, tiresome.

Originally: foolish, stupid, inept. Now: deliberately irritating or obnoxious. Usually designating or with reference to a male. Cf. jerk-off, adj. 2.

That needles; piercing, penetrating; annoying, irritating.