aggravate

verb

ag·​gra·​vate ˈa-grə-ˌvāt 

aggravated; aggravating; aggravates

transitive verb

1

: to make (something) worse, more serious, or more severe : to intensify (something) unpleasantly

His back injury was aggravated by too much exercise.

They're afraid that we might aggravate an already bad situation.

2

a

: to make (someone) angry or irritated especially by bothering again and again

The neighbors were aggravated by the noise from the construction.

I'm so silly with my daughter, I think it aggravates her at this point.

—Amy Adams

b

: to produce inflammation in (a part of the body) : irritate

… contact wearers may be especially vulnerable to pollen or other irritants that can aggravate the eyes …

—Jessica Rendall

3

obsolete

a

: burden

b

: increase

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.

Synonyms

• annoy
• bother
• bug
• burn (up)
• chafe
• eat
• exasperate
• frost
• gall
• get
• grate
• gripe
• hack (off)
• irk
• irritate
• itch
• nark [British]
• nettle
• peeve
• persecute
• pique
• put out
• rasp
• rile
• ruffle
• spite
• vex

Examples of aggravate in a Sentence

She aggravated an old knee injury.

They're afraid that we might aggravate an already bad situation.

A headache can be aggravated by too much exercise.

The symptoms were aggravated by drinking alcohol.

All of these delays really aggravate me.

Our neighbors were aggravated by all the noise.

Recent Examples on the Web

In October, the teen admitted to arson, aggravated criminal damage and four accusations of endangerment with risk of imminent death. —Maritza Dominguez, The Arizona Republic, 5 Nov. 2024

And the president-elect you're aggravated with will have to share the limited power of the federal government with 535 lawmakers in Congress and several hundred federal judges and justices. —David Faris, Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2024

While nearly all leaders agree that tariffs will create chaos up and down supply chains and likely aggravate inflation, a Republican administration would presumably be more friendly to business and would lower regulatory barriers and ease permitting. —David Reimer, Forbes, 30 Oct. 2024

Stretching might trigger or exacerbate those sensations by further aggravating the nerves. —Cindy Kuzma, SELF, 29 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin aggravātus, past participle of aggravāre "to weigh down, burden, oppress, make worse," from ad- ad- + gravāre "to make heavy, oppress, weigh heavily upon," verbal derivative of gravis "heavy" — more at grave entry 2

First Known Use

1530, in the meaning defined at sense 3a

Kids Definition

aggravate

verb

ag·​gra·​vate ˈag-rə-ˌvāt 

aggravated; aggravating

1

: to make more serious or severe

aggravate an injury

2

: to make angry by bothering again and again

Etymology

from Latin aggravare "to make heavier," from ad- "to" and gravare "to burden," from gravis "heavy" — related to grave entry 3, gravity, grieve

Medical Definition

aggravate

transitive verb

ag·​gra·​vate ˈag-rə-ˌvāt 

aggravated; aggravating

1

: to make worse, more serious, or more severe

movement may aggravate the pain

2

: to produce inflammation in : irritate

surgery aggravated the nerve

Legal Definition

aggravate

transitive verb

ag·​gra·​vate ˈa-grə-ˌvāt 

aggravated; aggravating

: to make more serious, more severe, or worse

maliciousness aggravated the offense

aggravating factors

compare mitigate

aggravation

ˌa-grə-ˈvā-shən 

noun