tr.v., -at·ed, -at·ing, -ates.
- To make very angry or impatient; annoy greatly.
- To increase the gravity or intensity of: "a scene . . . that exasperates his rose fever and makes him sneeze" (Samuel Beckett).
[Latin exasperāre, exasperāt- : ex-, intensive pref.; see ex- + asperāre, to make rough (from asper, rough).]
exasperatedly ex·as'per·at'ed·ly adv.exasperater ex·as'per·at'er n.
exasperatingly ex·as'per·at'ing·ly adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
