Did you know?
Irascible Has an Angry History
If you try to take apart irascible on the model of irrational, irresistible, and irresponsible you might find yourself wondering what ascible means—but that's not how irascible came to be. The key to the meaning of irascible isn't the negating prefix ir- (which is the form of the prefix in- that is used before words beginning with "r"), but rather the Latin noun ira, meaning "anger." From ira, which is also the root of irate and ire, came the Latin verb irasci ("to become angry") and the related adjective irascibilis, the latter of which led to the French word irascible. English speakers borrowed the word from French in the 16th century.
Examples of irascible in a Sentence
EW.com, 4 Mar. 2025
Based on a true story, Doc follows Dr. Amy Larsen (Parker), a brilliant but irascible surgeon who forgets the last eight years of her life after she was involved in a car accident.
—Lynette Rice, Deadline, 29 Jan. 2025
These irascible fish live on the intertidal mudflats of Roebuck Bay in Broome, Western Australia.
—Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2025
Others, like his irascible Celebrity Jeopardy standout Sean Connery, are the uncanny product of masterful tinkering, with Hammond eventually stretching the real and the perceived into a shape as recognizable as the actual figure himself.
—Dennis Perkins, EW.com, 16 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for irascible
Cite this Entry
“Irascible.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/irascible. Accessed 20 Mar. 2025.
Copy Citation
Share