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aggravate

verb
ag·​gra·​vate | \ ˈa-grə-ˌvāt How to pronounce aggravate (audio) \
aggravated; aggravating

Definition of aggravate

transitive verb

1 : to make worse, more serious, or more severe : to intensify unpleasantly problems have been aggravated by neglect
2a : to rouse to displeasure or anger by usually persistent and often petty goading were aggravated by the noise and traffic
b : to produce inflammation in

3 obsolete

a : to make heavy : burden
b : increase
Other Words from aggravate Synonyms Common Uses of Aggravate, Aggravation, and Aggravating: Usage Guide More Example Sentences Learn More about aggravate

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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.

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.
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Recent Examples on the Web

 Ozone is the main component of smog and can aggravate asthma and contribute to early deaths from respiratory disease. — Washington Post, "Colorado OKs electric car requirement to fight air pollution," 16 Aug. 2019 Luton, which has a significant Asian population and one of the highest proportions of Muslims in the country, was at the time under siege by the racist National Front party, and those tensions are aggravated by the economic downturn. — David Sims, The Atlantic, "Blinded by the Light Is a Charming Homage to the Power of Art," 15 Aug. 2019 Arrest warrants were also issued for five out-of-state cases from California, Colorado, Georgia, Ohio and Virginia for felonies that included attempted murder, aggravated stalking, and written death threats. — Wayne K. Roustan, sun-sentinel.com, "10,000 surveillance cameras anchor sheriff’s enhanced 'Real Time Crime Center’ for school, community safety," 14 Aug. 2019 All the additional noise is aggravating, and pulls the player away from the basic things Youngblood does well. — Julie Muncy, WIRED, "Wolfenstein: Youngblood Is a Rare Game About Sisterhood," 30 July 2019 Health experts worry about the bad air quality that comes from breathing in wildfire smoke and how that can aggravate already existing heart and lung conditions. — oregonlive.com, "What are the long-term health effects from wildfire smoke? Oregon doctors say it’s something they’re still learning about.," 22 July 2019 The report by the Brennan Center for Justice shows the rates of homicides, rapes, robberies and aggravated assaults in the 25 most populous U.S. cities dropped 4% on average last year. — USA TODAY, "Arthur Ashe, missing Marilyn, pacifier-eating pup: News from around our 50 states," 21 June 2019 The situation is further aggravated by recent disappointments about the longed-for transformation to democracy and a market economy after 1990, which has changed nothing about the drifting apart of East and West, quite the contrary. — Leonid Bershidsky, Twin Cities, "Leonid Bershidsky: Depopulation Is Eastern Germany’s curse," 18 June 2019 Rumors of a feud between Kate and Meghan only aggravated matters. — Elise Taylor, Vogue, "Kensington Palace Is Taking Action Against Social Media Trolls," 4 Mar. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'aggravate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of aggravate

1530, in the meaning defined at sense 3

History and Etymology for aggravate

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

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More Definitions for aggravate

aggravate

verb
How to pronounce aggravate (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of aggravate

: to make (an injury, problem, etc.) more serious or severe
informal : to make (someone) angry : to annoy or bother (someone)

See the full definition for aggravate in the English Language Learners Dictionary

aggravate

verb
ag·​gra·​vate | \ ˈa-grə-ˌvāt How to pronounce aggravate (audio) \
aggravated; aggravating

Kids Definition of aggravate

1 : to make worse or more serious aggravate an injury Don't aggravate an already bad situation.
2 : to make angry usually by bothering again and again All of these delays really aggravate me.

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