Home › Glossary › Letter I

Irritation

Psychology
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A state of mild, often fleeting annoyance or resentment; in poetry, it captures a character's petulance, the friction of daily life, or a minor emotional disturbance that prefigures stronger feeling.

Detailed Definition
Irritation in poetry captures petty grievances, frayed nerves, and daily frictions—stale air, scratching sounds, repeated questions. Poets use it to build tension or comedy, often in dramatic monologues or domestic scenes. Irritation reveals character flaws and relational strain, and can escalate into rage or despair. It grounds poetry in the mundane, making emotional life accessible and reminding readers that small triggers often carry larger meanings.
Example
Example in poetry:
Irritation in John Berryman's "Dream Song 14" expresses irritation with life; In Philip Larkin's poetry, irritation often appears in domestic settings; The poem "Irritation" captures petty grievances; In dramatic monologues, irritation reveals character flaws; Contemporary confessional poetry uses irritation to explore daily frictions; In "This Be The Verse," Larkin's irritation with family is palpable.
Additional Notes
Irritation in poetry captures petty grievances, frayed nerves, and daily frictions—stale air, scratching sounds, repeated questions—through mild annoyance that can escalate. In teaching, distinguish irritation from anger: irritation is mild vexation, while anger is more intense. Poets use irritation to build tension or comedy, often in dramatic monologues or domestic scenes. It reveals character flaws and relational strain. Students should examine how poets use repetition of small annoyances, clipped syntax, and domestic imagery to convey irritation's cumulative, grating quality.
Also Known As
Annoyance frustration vexation exasperation aggravation gall Inflammation Soreness
Skip to main content