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

• aggravated
• annoyed
• bothered
• galled
• irked
• irritated
• narked [British]
• peeved
• put out
• scunnered [chiefly Scottish]
• teed off
• vexed

Examples of exasperated in a Sentence

overworked, exasperated parents barking at their children over little things

Recent Examples on the Web

There’s comic mileage in Gromit’s expressive eyes – ranging from exasperated to determined – as the heroic dog endeavors to save the day. —Stephen Humphries, The Christian Science Monitor, 19 Dec. 2024

Candidates running on a platform of normalcy, of maintaining the status quo with a couple of careful tweaks, only prompt exasperated eye rolls from a decisive chunk of the American electorate. —Dan Perry, Newsweek, 17 Dec. 2024

Todd and Margo are arguably the funniest part of Christmas Vacation, thanks to Guest and Louis-Dreyfus’s exasperated performances, projecting a vibe before everything was a vibe. —Matthew Jacobs, Vulture, 17 Dec. 2024

The result is apparent — exasperated voters casting ballots out of frustration, or not casting them at all. —Derrick Johnson, The Hill, 3 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1611, in the meaning defined above