irritar
verbCEFR B2
What does “irritar” mean in English?
to irritate, to annoy
to irritate, to annoy (irritar a alguien — cause mild to moderate anger or frustration in someone)
Example sentences
La falta de respuesta por parte de la administración irritó a los vecinos, que decidieron organizar una protesta.
The lack of response from the administration irritated the residents, who decided to organise a protest.
Lo que más le irritaba era la actitud condescendiente de algunos colegas durante las reuniones de equipo.
What irritated him most was the condescending attitude of some colleagues during team meetings.
El ruido constante de las obras terminó por irritar a toda la comunidad de vecinos del edificio.
The constant noise from the building works ended up irritating the whole residents' association.
How to use it
Irritar means 'to irritate' or 'to annoy'. Structure: algo/alguien irrita a alguien (something/someone irritates someone). The reflexive irritarse means 'to get irritated'. Medical sense: irritar la piel/la garganta (irritate the skin/throat). At B2, the interpersonal and institutional registers dominate. Collocations: irritar profundamente, comenzar a irritarse, lo que más le irrita es... Don't confuse with molestar (bother/disturb — milder or more neutral) or exasperar (exasperate — stronger, imply loss of patience).
Common mistake
Irritar (irritate — mild to moderate persistent annoyance) vs. molestar (bother/disturb — can be neutral or negative). 'Me molesta el ruido' (the noise bothers me — neutral complaint). 'Me irrita su actitud' (his attitude irritates me — implies more persistent, building frustration). Irritar is stronger than molestar.