irascible
ih-RAS-uh-buladjMeaning easily angered; quick-tempered
Memory hook IRA-SCIBLE: IRA flares up at everything. Old Ira snaps at the mail carrier, the wind and even the birds; the smallest thing sets him off. Ira is irascible.
The irascible old cat hissed at anyone who came near its basket.
In context The irascible editor would fly into a rage over a single misplaced comma, so new writers checked their work three times before handing it in.
Similar hot-tempered, testy, cranky, touchy
Opposite easygoing, good-natured, calm
From Latin irascibilis, from irasci, “to grow angry,” from ira (anger).