Adjective

(en adjective)

Easily provoked to outbursts of anger; irritable.

* 1809 , , Knickerbocker's History of New York , ch. 16:

. . . the surly and irascible passions which, like belligerent powers, lie encamped around the heart.

* 1863 , , Hospital Sketches , ch. 1:

I am naturally irascible , and if I could have shaken this negative gentleman vigorously, the relief would have been immense.

* 1921 , , Four Years , ch. 10:

. . . a never idle man of great physical strength and extremely irascible —did he not fling a badly baked plum pudding through the window upon Xmas Day?

* 2004 Feb. 29, Daniel Kadlec, " Why He's Meanspan," Time :

Alan Greenspan was on an irascible roll last week, first dissing everyone who holds a fixed-rate mortgage — suckers! — and later picking on folks who collect Social Security: Get back to work, Grandma.

Adjective

(en adjective)

Of the poorest quality.

Hateful.

* 1779 , Jefferson, letter to Patrick Henry written on March 27

But is an enemy so execrable , that, though in captivity, his wishes and comforts are to be disregarded and even crossed? I think not. It is for the benefit of mankind to mitigate the horrors of war as much as possible.

* {{quote-book

, date = 2001-06-01 , title = Guts: A Comedy of Manners , first = David , last = Langford , authorlink = David Langford , coauthors = Grant, John , publisher = Wildside Press , isbn = 9781587154485 , page = 72 , pageurl = http://books.google.com/books?id=XloXRhUhamIC&pg=PA72&dq=execrable , passage = The arcanely evil words of that despicable, loathsome, suppressed, vile, pululating, odious, nictating, repellent, repugnant, noxious, abhorrent, abominable, tory, execrable , nauseous work, Ye Boke of Guts , moved as if on a conveyor belt before his eyes. }}