Word.ws English Dictionary

Synonyms of irritable

62 similar words · 3 opposite words

Another word for irritable is thin-skinned. Other synonyms of irritable are grumpy, petulant, cranky, touchy and grouchy. The opposite of irritable is imperturbable.

Synonyms and similar words for irritable

adjectiveMore synonyms

  • atrabilious
  • bad-temperedOf or pertaining to bad temper; showing anger easily or customarily.
  • biliousPeevishly ill-humored, irritable or bad tempered; irascible.
  • bitchy informal, vulgarIrritable.
  • brainish
  • cantankerousGiven to or marked by an ill-tempered, quarrelsome nature; ill-tempered, cranky, crabby.
  • carnaptious Ireland, UKBad-tempered, quarrelsome, snappy.
  • cholericOf a person: having a tendency to become angry easily; bad-tempered, irritable; also, feeling or showing anger; angry...
  • crabbit ScotlandGrouchy, cantankerous.
  • crabbyVisibly irritated or annoyed; grouchy, irritable, in a foul mood; given to complaining or finding fault in an annoyed...
  • crankyGrouchy, grumpy, irritable; easily upset.
  • crotchetyCranky, disagreeable, or stubborn, especially if prone to odd whims or fancies.
  • dyspepticIrritable or morose.
  • fantoddishIrritable.
  • fiery
  • fractiousIrritable; argumentative; quarrelsome.
  • fretfulIrritable; bad-tempered; grumpy; peevish.
  • grumpyDissatisfied and irritable.
  • grotchy slangTending to complain; irritable.
  • grouchyIrritable; easily upset; angry; tending to complain.
  • hissy
  • hot-temperedBecoming very vocal or even violent when angered or frustrated.
  • hotheadedPertaining to or characteristic of a hothead or hotheadedness; (of a person) easily excited or angered.
  • huffy
  • humpySulky; irritable.
  • ill-natured
  • ill-temperedSynonym of bad-tempered.
  • irascibleEasily provoked to outbursts of anger; irritable.
  • liverishNot feeling well due to an upset digestive system; queasy.
  • out of sortsIrritable or somewhat unwell, with vague medical symptoms.
  • ornery (chiefly US)}
  • peevishQuick to become bad-tempered or cross, especially due to insignificant matters; irritable, pettish, petulant.
  • pettishBad-tempered; peevish.
  • petulantChildishly irritable.
  • prickly
  • quick-temperedEasily or quickly angered or frustrated.
  • querulousOften complaining; suggesting a complaint in expression; fretful, whining.
  • raspyIrritable.
  • ratty informalAnnoyed, bad-tempered, irritable.
  • short-temperedEasily angered; frequently losing one's temper.
  • snappish
  • snappyIrritable.
  • snippetyIrritable; impatient; short-tempered; often, in a condescending way.
  • snippishSnippy; irritable; short-tempered.
  • snippyIrritable; impatient; short-tempered; often, in a condescending way.
  • snitchyIrritable; ill-tempered.
  • spleneticBad-tempered, irritable, peevish, spiteful, habitually angry.
  • stressyStressed; irritable.
  • surly
  • temperamental
  • testyEasily annoyed, irritable.
  • tetchySynonym of touchy: easily annoyed or irritated, peevish, testy, irascible; also (figurative) extremely sensitive...
  • thin-skinnedOverly sensitive to criticism; quick to take offence; irritable; touchy.
  • thornyAloof and irritable.
  • touchyEasily offended, oversensitive.
  • twitchy figurativelyIrritable, cranky, nervous, anxious, worried.
  • umbrageous figurativelyIrritable, easily upset.
  • volatile
  • waspish
  • edgy datedIrritable.
  • hot-livered archaicOf an irritable temperament; irascible; easily angered.
  • tetty obsoleteA diminutive of the female given name Elizabeth.

Opposite of irritable

adjectiveMore antonyms

  • calm
  • imperturbableNot capable of being, or not easily, perturbed, excited, or upset; calm and collected, even under pressure.
  • serene

Meaning of irritable

  1. adjective Capable of being irritated.
  2. adjective Easily exasperated or excited.
  3. adjective Responsive to stimuli.

Full definition of irritable

irritable in other languages

Questions about synonyms of irritable

What is another word for irritable?
Irritable has 62 synonyms on Word.ws, such as thin-skinned, grumpy, petulant, cranky, touchy, grouchy, testy and cantankerous.
What is the opposite of irritable?
The opposite of irritable is imperturbable.
What does irritable mean?
Irritable means capable of being irritated.

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: irritable (page history and authors) and the entries of the words listed. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws grouped the synonyms and antonyms by meaning and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this page: “Synonyms of irritable.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/synonyms/irritable. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.