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heighten excitement in; to intensify; to stimulate. Cold maketh the spirits vigorous and irritateth them. Bacon.

To diminish the sensibility of; to debilitate.

To produce counter irritation in; to treat with one morbid process for the purpose of curing another.

To sour; to imbitter; to irritate.

nettling cells (cnidæ), thrown out of the mouth or special pores of certain Actiniæ when irritated.

itter; bitterly irritating; as, acrid temper, mind, writing. Acrid poison, a poison which irritates, corrodes, or burns the parts to which it is applied.

To exasperate; to provoke; to irritate. [Colloq.] If both were to aggravate her parents, as my brother and sister do mine. Richardson (Clarissa).

To tease or annoy, as a badger when baited; to worry or irritate persistently.

th blood, or having the vessels turgid with blood, as when the conjunctiva is inflamed or irritated. His eyes were bloodshot, . . . and his hair disheveled. Dickens.

To excite passion or anger in; to fret; to irritate. Her intercession chafed him. Shak.

artifice to perplex a cause and obscure the truth; stratagem; sharp practice; sophistry. Irritated by perpetual chicanery. Hallam.

Easily irritated; irascible; inclined to anger.

d; to vex; -- often followed by with or at. It usually expresses less than to anger, vex, irritate, or provoke. God was displeased with this thing. 1 Chron. xxi. 7. Wilt thou be displeased at us forever Psalms lxxxv. 5 (Bk. of Com. Prayer). This virtuous plaster will displease Your tender sides. J. Fletcher. Adversity…

Easily irritated; sharp; as, an edgy temper.

To cause to boil with anger; to irritate; to chafe. [Obs.] Spenser.

To irritate in a high degree; to provoke; to enrage; to exscite or to inflame the anger of; as, to exasperate a person or his feelings. To exsasperate them against the king of France. Addison.

To inflame; to irritate, as the passions; as, to fire the soul with anger, pride, or revenge. Love had fired my mind. Dryden.

To tease; to irritate; to vex. Fret not thyself because of evil doers. Ps. xxxvii. 1.

in grain. Spenser. -- To go against the grain of (a person), to be repugnant to; to vex, irritate, mortify, or trouble.

To fret; to irritate; to offend. News, my good lord Rome . . . grates me. Shak.