VOA名师答疑2023--Disturbing vs. Irritating

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.

Methane¹ 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.

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 disorder².

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 frustrated³.

Bugs⁴ flying near my head are irritating.

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 itching⁵ or soreness."

Devan has allergies⁶ which always irritate her eyes making her cry and sneeze.

Please let us know if these explanations and examples have helped you!

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

1 methane   

n.甲烷，沼气

参考例句：

• The blast was caused by pockets of methane gas that ignited.爆炸是由数袋甲烷气体着火引起的。
• Methane may have extraterrestrial significance.甲烷具有星际意义。

2 disorder   

n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调

参考例句：

• When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
• It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。

3 frustrated   

adj.挫败的，失意的，泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's very easy to get frustrated in this job. 这个工作很容易令人懊恼。
• The bad weather frustrated all our hopes of going out. 恶劣的天气破坏了我们出行的愿望。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 bugs   

adj.疯狂的，发疯的n.窃听器( bug的名词复数 )；病菌；虫子；[计算机]（制作软件程序所产生的意料不到的）错误

参考例句：

• All programs have bugs and need endless refinement. 所有的程序都有漏洞，都需要不断改进。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The sacks of rice were swarming with bugs. 一袋袋的米里长满了虫子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 itching   

adj.贪得的，痒的，渴望的v.发痒( itch的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The itching was almost more than he could stand. 他痒得几乎忍不住了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• My nose is itching. 我的鼻子发痒。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 allergies   

n.[医]过敏症；[口]厌恶，反感；（对食物、花粉、虫咬等的）过敏症( allergy的名词复数 )；变态反应，变应性

参考例句：

• Food allergies can result in an enormous variety of different symptoms. 食物过敏会引发很多不同的症状。 来自辞典例句
• Let us, however, examine one of the most common allergies; hayfever. 现在让我们来看看最常见的变态反应的一种--枯草热。 来自辞典例句