Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

get under someone's skin

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: 4.20 in modern English

Syllables: get un-der -some-one's skin
IPA

28

Scrabble Score

20

Letters

4

Syllables

12

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To irritate someone.

verb

To make a memorable impression or have a strong effect on someone; to impact someone's feelings, especially when such an effect is not expected or wanted.

Example Sentences

"[T]his Bolshevist stuff gets under my skin. I've got a home and a family here. I started in to work when I was thirteen, and all I've got I've made and saved right here."
"She could get under his skin and drag on the raw places."
"The pope has not said if Milei’s tirades have got under his skin. “I know they say things about me but I ignore it for my mental health,” he said in a television interview. “I will pray for them.”"
"Some TV shows get under your skin with lovable characters or subtle writing."
"More than 400 people died from heat in 2022, but there was one story, an African American teenager called Caleb Blair, which got under my skin."

Inflected Forms

gets under someone's skin (present, singular) getting under someone's skin (participle, present) got under someone's skin (past) got under someone's skin (UK, participle) gotten under someone's skin (US, participle) get underneath someone's skin (alternative, uncommon)

Phrases

get in someone's hair get under someone's goat

Frequently Paired Words

get in someone's hair get under someone's goat

Questions

What does get under someone's skin mean?: To irritate someone.

How to pronounce get under someone's skin

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