Irritation is the feeling of being bothered, annoyed, or slightly angry about something. When your little brother keeps tapping his pencil during homework time, that growing sense of annoyance is irritation. When mosquitoes buzz around your ears at night, or when someone keeps interrupting you while you're trying to explain something important, you feel irritated.

The word can also describe physical discomfort. Soap in your eyes causes irritation. Wool sweaters might cause skin irritation if they're scratchy. Smoke or dust can cause throat irritation that makes you cough.

Notice that irritation sits between mild annoyance and real anger. An irritating situation might make you sigh or roll your eyes, but it usually doesn't make you furious. It's that persistent, nagging feeling when small things pile up: the flickering light, the dripping faucet, the classmate who clicks their pen over and over.

Some things cause irritation precisely because they're repetitive or persistent. One interruption might not bother you, but the fifth interruption becomes an irritation.