irascible · adj — easily provoked to outbursts of anger; irritable. It carries an Arena rating of 1641, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, irascible ranks #2,902 of 17,187 for Most Malleable Words, #3,574 of 17,162 for Most Elegant Words, #3,656 of 17,160 for Most Betrayed by Its Sound, #4,627 of 17,165 for Most Satisfying to Say.
irascible is pronounced /ɪˈɹæs.ɪ.bəl/.
Why “irascible” is a great word
Easily provoked to outbursts of anger; irritable. From Late Latin īrāscibilis, from Latin īrāscī ("to be angry, enraged") + -bilis ("able to"), with īrāscī derived from īra ("anger"). First attested in English in the late 14th century. Unlike "cantankerous," which suggests a quarrelsome and stubbornly ill-natured disposition, or "peevish," which implies a fretful, childish irritability over trifles, "irascible" is the spark to the tinder, the sudden flare. It is the sharp crack of a branch underfoot in a silent wood, the violent hiss of a drop of water on a red-hot griddle, the particular heat that rises in the chest before reason can arrive—the body's swift, sovereign declaration that a line has been crossed.
❧ Essay by Lexicurio’s AI · definition, etymology & citations from published sources
Etymology
From Middle English, from Old French irascible, from Late Latin īrāscibilis, from Latin īrāscī (“to be angry, enraged”) + -bilis. See also -ible.
adj
- Easily provoked to outbursts of anger; irritable.
- Relating to the irascible passions.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.