irritate
/ˈir-ə-ˌtāt/
verb
to provoke impatience, anger, or displeasure in : annoy
to induce irritability in or of
to cause or induce displeasure or irritation
irritate exasperate nettle provoke rile peeve mean to excite a feeling of anger or annoyance. irritate implies an often gradual arousing of angry feelings that may range from mere impatience to rage. exasperate suggests galling annoyance and the arousing of extreme impatience.