AGGRAVATE Definition & Meaning

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aggravate

[ ag-ruh-veyt ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

verb (used with object)

aggravated, aggravating.

to make worse or more severe; intensify, as anything evil, disorderly, or troublesome:
to aggravate a grievance; to aggravate an illness.
Synonyms: ,
Antonyms:
to annoy; irritate; exasperate:
His questions aggravate her.
Synonyms: , ,
to cause to become irritated or inflamed:
The child's constant scratching aggravated the rash.

aggravate

/ ˈæɡ��əˌ��ɪ�� /

verb

to make (a disease, situation, problem, etc) worse or more severe
informal.
to annoy; exasperate, esp by deliberate and persistent goading

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Usage Note

The two most common senses of aggravate are “to make worse” and “to annoy or exasperate.” Both senses first appeared in the early 17th century at almost the same time; the corresponding two senses of the noun aggravation also appeared then. Both senses of aggravate and aggravation have been standard since then. The use of aggravate to mean “annoy” is sometimes objected to because it departs from the etymological meaning “to make heavier,” and in formal speech and writing the sense “annoy” is somewhat less frequent than “to make worse.” The noun aggravation meaning “annoyance” occurs in all types of speech and writing.

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Derived Forms

ˌ��ˈ��پ��ǲ�, noun
ˈ��ˌ��پ��Բ�, adjective

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Other 51�Թ� Forms

��g��·��t�� adjective
��g��·��t�ǰ� noun
��v��·��g��·��ٱ� verb (used with object) overaggravated overaggravating
��·��g��·��ٱ� verb (used with object) preaggravated preaggravating
��·��g��·��ٱ� verb (used with object) reaggravated reaggravating

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51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of aggravate¹

1425–75; late Middle English < Latin ��ٳܲ� (past participle of �� ), equivalent to ag- ag- + grav- ( grave ² ) + -��ٳܲ� -ate ¹; aggrieve

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51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of aggravate¹

C16: from Latin �� to make heavier, from gravis heavy

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Synonym Study

Aggravate, intensify both mean to increase in degree. To aggravate is to make more serious or more grave: to aggravate a danger, an offense, a wound. To intensify is perceptibly to increase intensity, force, energy, vividness, etc.: to intensify heat, color, rage.

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

In a separate case, a soldier at the base was sentenced after he admitted to the aggravated abuse of Palestinian detainees from Gaza.

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The court heard that Christopher Fulton had accompanied the child to hospital and was described as appearing unconcerned throughout - something the judge said was an aggravating factor.

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Freeman has been out since he slipped in the shower at his home Sunday and fell, aggravating the right ankle he had surgically repaired this offseason in the process.

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Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman aggravated his surgically repaired ankle when he slipped in the shower, keeping him out of the lineup vs.

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Apollo 17's Eugene Cernan warned the dust would be "one of the most aggravating, restricting facets of lunar surface exploration."

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