irritant Hear it!

irritant Definition

ir·ri·tant (iri tənt)

adjective

causing irritation or inflammation

Etymology: L irritans, prp. of irritare

noun

something that causes irritation

Related Forms:

irritant Synonyms

irritant

n.

irritant Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • avoid: This condition can be prevented through avoiding the irritant.
  • contain: Beware of plants which have leaves / sap that contain strong irritants.

Adjective modifier

  • respiratory: May act as a skin, eye or respiratory irritant.
  • minor: Margaret Thatcher was still a minor irritant whose influence was limited to stealing milk from school children.
  • mild: What is classed as a severe eye irritant by one observer may be dismissed as a mild irritant by another.
  • constant: Then he admitted the failure to translate promising field positions into points was a constant irritant to his team.
  • counter: The dried bark from this species has been applied as a counter irritant ( Morton 1977 ).
  • severe: What is classed as a severe eye irritant by one observer may be dismissed as a mild irritant by another.

Modifies a noun

  • dermatitis: An irritant dermatitis is most likely to occur on the hands.
  • eczema: Irritant contact eczema ( or dermatitis ) is far more common than allergic contact eczema.
  • poison: Virus such as distemper or parvo, irritant poisons, food poisoning or dietary allergies are the most common causes of diarrhea.
  • substance: Some irritant substances increase the risk of lung cancer.
  • reaction: The first is an irritant reaction affecting bulb handlers.
  • chemical: They devised the idea of placing an irritant chemical among the metal balls in a shrapnel shell.

Modifying Another Word

  • highly: Lung toxins Some of the toxins present in smoke are highly irritant or directly toxic to the bronchial mucosa causing airway inflammation.

Noun used with modifier

  • skin: The oil from the bark smells like the spice and is a very strong skin irritant and should never be used on the skin.
  • lung: Ozone is a lung irritant emitted from many air cleaners in the market that can trigger allergy reactions, even in small amounts.
  • chemical: Chemical irritants in bath water or in underclothes should be avoided.
  • eye: Warfarin is not known to be an eye irritant.

Preposition: by

  • test: The juice of the fruit is generally not irritant by patch test.