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aggravate

 
Dictionary: ag·gra·vate   (ăg'rə-vāt') pronunciation
tr.v., -vat·ed, -vat·ing, -vates.
  1. To make worse or more troublesome.
  2. To rouse to exasperation or anger; provoke. See synonyms at annoy.

[Latin aggravāre, aggravāt- : ad-, ad- + gravāre, to burden (from gravis, heavy).]

aggravatingly ag'gra·vat'ing·ly adv.
aggravative ag'gra·va'tive adj.
aggravator ag'gra·va'tor n.

USAGE NOTE   Aggravate comes from the Latin verb aggravāre, which meant "to make heavier," that is, "to add to the weight of." It also had the extended senses "to annoy" and "to oppress." Some people claim that aggravate can only mean "to make worse," and not "to irritate," on the basis of the word's etymology. But in doing so, they ignore not only an English sense in use since the 17th century, but also one of the original Latin ones. Sixty-eight percent of the Usage Panel approves of its use in It's the endless wait for luggage that aggravates me the most about air travel.


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Thesaurus: aggravate
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verb

  1. To make greater in intensity or severity: deepen, enhance, heighten, intensify, redouble. See increase/decrease.
  2. To trouble the nerves or peace of mind of, especially by repeated vexations: annoy, bother, bug, chafe, disturb, exasperate, fret, gall, get, irk, irritate, nettle, peeve, provoke, put out, rile, ruffle, vex. Idioms: get in one's hair, get on one's nerves, get under one's skin. See feelings, pain/pleasure.

Antonyms: aggravate
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v

Definition: annoy
Antonyms: appease, gladden, make happy, mollify, soften

v

Definition: cause to become worse
Antonyms: alleviate, help, improve, relieve, soothe


Word Tutor: aggravate
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pronunciation

IN BRIEF: To make worse or more bothersome.

pronunciation There's nothing wrong with teenagers that reasoning with them won't aggravate. — Quoted from www.zaadz.com

Misspellings: aggravate
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Common misspelling(s) of aggravate

  • agravate
  • agregate

Translations: Aggravate
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Dansk (Danish)
v. tr. - skærpe

Nederlands (Dutch)
(ver)ergeren

Français (French)
v. tr. - aggraver, (faire) empirer, envenimer, augmenter (la douleur), exaspérer, agacer, taper sur les nerfs de (qn)

Deutsch (German)
v. - verschlimmern, ärgern, verschärfen

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - επιδεινώνω, επιβαρύνω, εκνευρίζω, εξοργίζω

Italiano (Italian)
aggravare, infastidire, irritare, complicare, indispettire, esacerbare

Português (Portuguese)
v. - agravar, piorar, importunar (coloq.)

Русский (Russian)
ухудшать, раздражать, осложнять, сердить, усиливать

Español (Spanish)
v. tr. - agravar, empeorar, irritar, complicar, enojar, fastidiar, agudizar, exacerbar

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - försvåra, förvärra

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
加重, 使恶化, 增剧, 激怒

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
v. tr. - 加重, 使惡化, 增劇, 激怒

한국어 (Korean)
v. tr. - 더욱 악화시키다, 화나게 하다

日本語 (Japanese)
v. - さらに悪化させる, 怒らせる, 悪化させる, 悩ます

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) يفاقم : يجعل ألأمر أسوأ, يثير, يغضب‏

עברית (Hebrew)
v. tr. - ‮החמיר, הרגיז, הציק, החריף, קלקל, הרע‬


 
 
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extenuate
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Dictionary. 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.  Read more
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