Your browser doesn’t support HTML5
Disturbing vs. Irritating
Hello! This week on Ask a Teacher, we will answer a question about the difference between “disturbing” and “irritating.”
Question:
Hi VOA Learning English,
My name is Hamza, and I am from Algeria. I have been learning English using your programs for several years. My question is: What is the difference between the words “disturbing” and “irritating?”
Thank you,
Hamza
Answer
Dear Hamza,
Thank you for writing to us. Both of these adjectives come from verbs. Both words can describe being upset or upsetting someone. But the emotions these words describe can be quite different. Let’s look at each word more closely so we can identify the emotions behind them.
Let’s start with “disturbing.”
“Disturbing” is an adjective that comes from the verb “disturb.” It means that something causes worry or upsets you.
Methane gasses are disturbing because they are said to trap more heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide.
If something is disturbing, it bothers you, and makes you feel bad or is creepy.
I hate watching horror movies because they are so disturbing.
Scene from Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (2019)
As a verb, “disturb” means to bother or interrupt someone so that they become upset by your actions.
Please be quiet in the library so you don’t disturb others.
And lastly, as a verb, “disturb” means to change something’s position, shape or to put it in disorder.
My sister disturbed my clothes when she borrowed a shirt from my closet. They were a mess the next day!
Let’s move onto “irritating.”
Just like “disturbing,” “irritating” is an adjective that comes from a verb. It can also describe something that makes you upset. But instead of feelings of worry or fear, something that is “irritating” causes you to feel annoyed or frustrated.
Bugs flying near my head are irritating.
FILE - An Asian hornet (Vespa velutina) flies on September 14, 2019 in Loue, northwestern France. (Photo by JEAN-FRANCOIS MONIER / AFP)
My next-door neighbor is so loud. Her voice is irritating.
“Irritate” as a verb can mean “to annoy,” but it also has a medical meaning “to cause itching or soreness.”
Devan has allergies which always irritate her eyes making her cry and sneeze.
Please let us know if these explanations and examples have helped you!
What question do you have about American English? Send us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com
And that’s Ask a Teacher.
I’m Faith Pirlo.
Faith Pirlo wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English.
______________________________________________________________________
Words in This Story
creepy – adj. annoyingly unpleasant
annoy –v. to cause someone to get a little angry or bothered
frustrated – adj. discouraged, or upset because of being unable to do or complete something
allergies – n. the body’s reaction to something that it is sensitive to
_______________________________________________________________________
Do you have a question for the teacher? We want to hear from you. We have a new comment system. Here is how it works:
- Write your comment in the box.
- Under the box, you can see four images for social media accounts. They are for Disqus, Facebook, Twitter, and Google.
- Click on one image and a box appears. Enter the login for your social media account. Or you may create one on the Disqus system. It is the blue circle with “D” on it. It is free.
Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.