aggravation
noun
ag·gra·va·tion
ˌa-grə-ˈvā-shən
1
: an act or circumstance that intensifies something or makes something worse
His interference was an aggravation of the situation.
2
: the act, action, or result of aggravating something or someone
especially
: an increasing in seriousness or severity
aggravation of an injury
3
: irritation, provocation
Her job involves a lot of stress and aggravation.
Common Uses of Aggravate, Aggravation, and Aggravating: Usage Guide
Although aggravate has been used to refer to rousing someone to anger since the 17th century, it has been the object of disapproval only since about 1870. It is used in expository prose
when his silly conceit … about his not-very-good early work has begun to aggravate us
—William Styron
but seems to be more common in speech and casual writing.
a good profession for him, because bus drivers get aggravated
—Jackie Gleason, interview, 1986
& now this letter comes to aggravate me a thousand times worse
—Mark Twain, letter, 1864
The "make worse" meaning is far more common in published prose than the "rouse to anger" meaning. Such is not the case, however, with aggravation and aggravating. Aggravation is used in the "irritation, provocation" sense somewhat more than in its earlier senses; aggravating has practically no use other than to express annoyance.
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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