aggravate

(ăg'rə-vāt')
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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The meaning 'to annoy or exasperate' has existed in good sources since the early 17th century; despite this, Fowler (1926) recommended that it 'should be left to the uneducated'. The dominance of the current sense has not put paid to the original meaning, 'to increase the gravity of', and the two meanings now stand side by side. Examples: (older sense)

These misfortunes were greatly aggravated by the policies of the English Government—Winston Churchill

, 1958 / (later sense)

Do not aggravate them, be quiet, smile nicely—Peter Carey, 1982

Jane Fairfax aggravates her in all sorts of ways—T. Tanner, 1986.

The later meaning has given rise to a common participial adjective aggravating (like annoying): e.g.

It was aggravating that he had to do so many little jobs himself—Mary Wesley, 1983.

In law, aggravating factors or circumstances make an offence (such as aggravated assault) more serious and the word in this sense is therefore the opposite of mitigating.

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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.

v

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

v

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

IN BRIEF: To make worse or more bothersome.

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

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sign description: Both open-claw hands make circular motions up the body.

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For a list of words related to aggravated, see:

• Angry, Emotional, Aggressive, or Passionate

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See words rhyming with "aggravate."

  See crossword solutions for the clue Aggravate.

Common misspelling(s) of aggravate

• agravate
• agregate

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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