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单词 irritate
释义
irritate
(once / 210 pages)
v

To irritate is to cause an unsettling reaction, whether it's of the body or the nerves. You can irritate someone by talking too loudly on your cellphone in public. You can also irritate your skin, causing a rash or redness.
To irritate is to disturb — either physically or psychologically. When you have an allergic reaction to something, you irritate or disturb the body. When you have an allergic reaction to your kid brother, he is probably irritating you with his annoying habits. And what is the result of something irritating? An irritation of course.
CHOOSE YOUR WORDS
aggravate / irritate

Aggravate means to make something worse, and irritate is to annoy. But if you use aggravate to mean "annoy," no one will notice. That battle has been lost in all but the most formal writing.

To aggravate is to make something go from bad to worse. Yet aggravate was first listed as meaning, "exasperate, annoy" in A Dictionarie of the French and English Tongues by Randal Cotgrave in 1611. But it's not exactly the same as irritate, darn it, and the sentences below get it right. In the news, aggravated often goes with battery, which is worse than simple battery (beating someone up), and carries a tougher punishment:

Knight was arrested for aggravated battery and resisting a police officer. (Chicago Tribune)

Tapia, 27, was charged after the confrontation with several counts of aggravated battery on a police officer and resisting arrest. (Reuters)

Regardless of pH levels, high-fat meats, dairy products, caffeine, chocolate, carbonated beverages, fried foods, alcohol and mints are known to aggravate reflux symptoms. (New York Times)

Irritate means to annoy someone. If you try to use irritate in the sentences above, it doesn't work as well. Irritate also means to inflame a part of the body, and in that sense, aggravate won't do:

Bedbugs don't spread disease, but they can irritate skin. (WebMD)

Gold chains are also very irritating to the neck and arms of an infant. (Eliza Leslie)

Despite four hundred years of English speakers using aggravate to mean annoy or irritate, there is a shade of difference. If you make something worse, you aggravate the situation. A bedbug will irritate your skin. If you're determined to annoy, use either.

WORD FAMILY
irritate: irritable, irritated, irritates, irritating, irritation, irritative+/irritability: irritabilities/irritable: irritability, irritably/irritated: irritatedly/irritating: irritatingly/irritation: irritations
USAGE EXAMPLES
However, most of us don't get irritated to the point of using our irons as weapons.
Golf Digest(Dec 30, 2016)
Still, Mr. Perlmuth said he was glad the subway was finally opening, even if he was irritated by the many inconveniences during construction.
New York Times(Dec 28, 2016)
Ron Gallo, June 23 at the 5 Spot: Insurgent thrift-store poet overcomes irritating schmoozing crowd with feedback and barbed words.
Slate(Dec 27, 2016)
1v cause annoyance in; disturb, especially by minor irritations
It irritates me that she never closes the door after she leaves
Syn|Hypo|Hyper
annoy, bother, chafe, devil, get at, get to, gravel, nark, nettle, rag, rile, vex
chafe
feel extreme irritation or anger
get, get under one's skin
irritate
eat into, fret, grate, rankle
gnaw into; make resentful or angry
peeve
cause to be annoyed, irritated, or resentful
ruffle
trouble or vex
fret
cause annoyance in
beset, chevvy, chevy, chivvy, chivy, harass, harry, hassle, molest, plague, provoke
annoy continually or chronically
antagonise, antagonize
provoke the hostility of
goad, needle
goad or provoke,as by constant criticism
bedevil, crucify, dun, frustrate, rag, torment
treat cruelly
haze
harass by imposing humiliating or painful tasks, as in military institutions
displease
give displeasure to
2v excite to an abnormal condition, or chafe or inflame
Aspirin irritates my stomach
Ant|Hypo|Hyper
soothe
cause to feel better
chafe, fret, gall
become or make sore by or as if by rubbing
itch, rub, scratch
scrape or rub as if to relieve itching
aggravate, exacerbate, exasperate, worsen
make worse
3v excite to some characteristic action or condition, such as motion, contraction, or nervous impulse, by the application of a stimulus
irritate the glands of a leaf
Hypo|Hyper
pinch, vellicate
irritate as if by a nip, pinch, or tear
excite, stimulate
act as a stimulant
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更新时间:2024/12/23 16:13:58