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exasperate

verb
ex·​as·​per·​ate | \ ig-ˈza-spə-ˌrāt How to pronounce exasperate (audio) \
exasperated; exasperating

Definition of exasperate

 (Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

1a : to cause irritation or annoyance to It's a conundrum for any playwright: How do you enliven characters who alternately bore and exasperate each other?— Michael Phillips It's a demanding dining experience that may exhaust and exasperate some customers …— Thomas Matthews … they are just like any brothers who love and exasperate each other in equal measure …— Allison Glock
b : to excite the anger of : enrage She did show favour to the youth in your sight only to exasperate you, to awake your dormouse valour, to put fire in your heart and brimstone in your liver.— William Shakespeare … no doubt he thought that such rigorous discipline as that might exasperate five hundred emigrants into an insurrection.— Herman Melville
2 obsolete : to make more grievous : aggravate

exasperate

adjective
ex·​as·​per·​ate | \ ig-ˈza-sp(ə-)rət How to pronounce exasperate (audio) \

Definition of exasperate (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : irritated or annoyed especially to the point of injudicious action : exasperated
2 : roughened with irregular prickles or elevations exasperate seed coats
Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym The Difference Between Exasperate and Exacerbate More Example Sentences Learn More about exasperate

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Choose the Right Synonym for exasperate

Verb

irritate, exasperate, nettle, provoke, rile, peeve mean to excite a feeling of anger or annoyance. irritate implies an often gradual arousing of angry feelings that may range from mere impatience to rage. constant nagging that irritated me greatly exasperate suggests galling annoyance and the arousing of extreme impatience. his exasperating habit of putting off needed decisions nettle suggests a sharp but passing annoyance or stinging. your pompous attitude nettled several people provoke implies an arousing of strong annoyance that may excite to action. remarks made solely to provoke her rile implies inducing an angry or resentful agitation. the new work schedules riled the employees peeve suggests arousing fretful often petty or querulous irritation. a toddler peeved at being refused a cookie

The Difference Between Exasperate and Exacerbate

Verb

Exasperate hangs with a rough crowd. It derives from exasperatus, the past participle of the Latin verb exasperare, which in turn was formed by combining ex- with asper, meaning "rough." Another descendant of asper in English is asperity, which can refer to the roughness of a surface or the roughness of someone's temper. Another relative, albeit a distant one, is the English word spurn, meaning "to reject." Lest you wish to exasperate your readers, you should take care not to confuse exasperate with the similar-sounding exacerbate, another Latin-derived verb that means "to make worse," as in "Their refusal to ask for help only exacerbated the problem."

Examples of exasperate in a Sentence

Verb

 The criticism of his latest movie is sure to exasperate his admirers. We were exasperated by the delays.

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

 Mâconnais wines can be exasperating in their variety, with almost 40 different potential sub-regional designations. — Fortune, "Wine Drinkers Should Pay More Attention to This Lesser-Known Spot in Burgundy," 10 Aug. 2019 In effect, Bolsonaro’s hard-line approach is exasperating a crisis that has already led to several shocking bouts of deadly violence like Monday’s, according to advocates and researchers in Brazil. — Washington Post, "Why Brazil has been so prone to deadly prison riots," 30 July 2019 The mixed signals are everywhere, exasperated by uncertainty about when Taurasi will return for good from back surgery and the loss of power forward Sancho Lyttle for up to six weeks with a knee injury. — Jeff Metcalfe, azcentral, "Phoenix Mercury at midseason: Still no Diana Taurasi, mixed signals about second half," 19 July 2019 My issue with the grips was exasperated by my test bike being fitted with the shorter M-type handlebar. — Thomas Ricker, The Verge, "Brompton Electric bike review: remarkably practical," 2 July 2019 My minder was exasperated that his black front referred to Angela Davis during a radio interview. — Michelle Tea, Harper's magazine, "Stonewall at Fifty," 22 June 2019 The entire Conservative grass roots has grown increasingly exasperated by the government’s failure to deliver Brexit and become even more hard-line of late, but new members have helped push the party right. — Benjamin Mueller, New York Times, "New Members Flood U.K.’s Conservatives, Yanking the Party Right," 19 July 2019 Sudan’s dismal economic conditions, exasperated by government cuts to food and fuel subsidies, became a triggering event that ignited protests that spread to the capital, Khartoum. — Fox News, "Sudan military admits security forces committed 'violations' after protests turned deadly," 15 June 2019 As Stephanie Clifford reports at Wired, one by one, exasperated and terrified, the girls reported Seth Williamson to the police. — Krista Stevens, Longreads, "How to Catch a Cyber Sextortionist," 25 June 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'exasperate.' 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 exasperate

Verb

1534, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Adjective

1541, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for exasperate

Verb

Latin exasperatus, past participle of exasperare, from ex- + asper rough — more at asperity

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More Definitions for exasperate

exasperate

verb
How to pronounce exasperate (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of exasperate

: to make (someone) very angry or annoyed

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

exasperate

verb

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