exasperated

adjective

ex·​as·​per·​at·​ed ig-ˈza-spə-ˌrā-təd 

: having or showing strong feelings of irritation or annoyance

an exasperated sigh

Ricardo congratulated himself on having left his revolver behind. He was so exasperated that he didn't know what he might have done.

—Joseph Conrad

… she is the sort of curmudgeon who makes a point of trampling on flower beds when she goes for a walk, and greets the death of her longtime housekeeper … with a grim, exasperated roll of the eyes.

—Ben Brantley

exasperatedly adverb

"I keep telling them not to ring the doorbell!" said Sirius exasperatedly, hurrying back out of the room.

—J. K. Rowling

It's aggravation that motivates Tennison's signature tic: running her fingers exasperatedly through her short, faded blonde hair.

—Rand Richards Cooper

Did you know?

Exacerbate vs. Exasperate

Exacerbate is frequently confused with exasperate, and with good reason. Not only do these words resemble one another in spelling and pronunciation, they also at one time held exceedingly similar meanings. Exasperate is today most commonly used as a synonym of annoy, but for several hundred years it also had the meanings “to make more grievous” and “to make harsh or harsher.” Exacerbate is now the more common choice of these two words when one seeks to indicate that something is becoming increasingly bitter, violent, or unpleasant. It comes in part from the Latin word acer, meaning “sharp,” whereas exasperate is from asper, the Latin word for “rough.”

Synonyms of exasperated

• annoyed
• irritated
• angry
• bothered
• upset
• aggravated

Examples of exasperated in a Sentence

overworked, exasperated parents barking at their children over little things

Recent Examples on the Web

And when a City Council committee convened Tuesday to dissect the events, things got heated as exasperated council members grilled city staff about their response to the trio of problems. —Drew Kann, AJC.com, 26 May 2026

But opposition to the new flag recently led exasperated Democratic legislators, hoping to make a point, to propose a last-minute bill penalizing cities that opted for the former flag. —Jeremy Fugleberg, Twin Cities, 23 May 2026

Other disciplines and domains are highly exasperated and frustrated that somehow philosophy is getting a moment in the sun to the exclusion of other bona fide majors that ought to be given due consideration. —Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026

Comic relief comes in her exasperated answers to media questions from back home — turns out that space isn’t far enough to escape the culture wars — and in her entertaining video call with a classroom of young kids. —Emily McClanathan, Chicago Tribune, 22 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1611, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for exasperated

• abbreviated
• accelerated
• accentuated
• accommodated
• acculturated
• accumulated
• acidulated
• adjudicated
• administrated
• adulterated
• affiliated
• agglomerated