aggravate

verb

ag·​gra·​vate ˈa-grə-ˌvāt How to pronounce aggravate (audio)
aggravated; aggravating; aggravates

transitive verb

1
: to make (something) worse, more serious, or more severe : to intensify (something) unpleasantly
His back injury was aggravated by too much exercise.
They're afraid that we might aggravate an already bad situation.
2
a
: to make (someone) angry or irritated especially by bothering again and again
The neighbors were aggravated by the noise from the construction.
I'm so silly with my daughter, I think it aggravates her at this point.Amy Adams
b
: to produce inflammation in (a part of the body) : irritate
… contact wearers may be especially vulnerable to pollen or other irritants that can aggravate the eyes …Jessica Rendall
3
obsolete
a
: burden
b
Common Uses of Aggravate, Aggravation, and Aggravating: Usage Guide

Although aggravate has been used to refer to rousing someone to anger since the 17th century, it has been the object of disapproval only since about 1870. It is used in expository prose

when his silly conceit … about his not-very-good early work has begun to aggravate us William Styron

but seems to be more common in speech and casual writing.

a good profession for him, because bus drivers get aggravated Jackie Gleason, interview, 1986
& now this letter comes to aggravate me a thousand times worse Mark Twain, letter, 1864

The "make worse" meaning is far more common in published prose than the "rouse to anger" meaning. Such is not the case, however, with aggravation and aggravating. Aggravation is used in the "irritation, provocation" sense somewhat more than in its earlier senses; aggravating has practically no use other than to express annoyance.

Examples of aggravate in a Sentence

She aggravated an old knee injury. They're afraid that we might aggravate an already bad situation. A headache can be aggravated by too much exercise. The symptoms were aggravated by drinking alcohol. All of these delays really aggravate me. Our neighbors were aggravated by all the noise.
Recent Examples on the Web Garcia said in an interview that stress at work and heavier workloads have aggravated her health issues. Suhauna Hussain, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2024 On March 4, Harrison was indicted by a Stafford County grand jury on multiple charges, including first-degree murder, abduction with the intent to defile and aggravated malicious wounding of Lard. Kerry Breen, CBS News, 6 Mar. 2024 After a two-week trial, a jury in Brooklyn found Martin, 36, guilty on all counts of an indictment charging him with murder-for-hire, murder-for-hire conspiracy, wire fraud conspiracy, aggravated identify theft and fraudulent use of identification. Minnah Arshad, USA TODAY, 5 Mar. 2024 There’s been growing attention in recent years to the disproportionate harms of extreme weather, sometimes aggravated by climate change, on low-income countries that produce far less greenhouse gas emissions, per person, than wealthier, more industrialized countries. Somini Sengupta, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2024 Hormones and yeast can aggravate the condition, causing red, greasy, or swollen patches of skin. Amanda Gardner, Health, 4 Mar. 2024 Ibarra, 26, was arrested on several charges, including malice murder, felony murder, aggravated battery and concealing the death of another. Nicole Acevedo, NBC News, 28 Feb. 2024 But the biggest difference the United States can—and must—make is to dramatically increase its financial pressure on the proxies aggravating the war, particularly the United Arab Emirates but also Egypt, Wagner, and Iran, which has become an important arms supplier to the SAF. John Prendergast, Foreign Affairs, 27 Feb. 2024 Chiropractor-recommended bed pillows Your choice of pillow also plays a role in mitigating or aggravating body pain. Brianna Kamienski, The Arizona Republic, 23 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'aggravate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin aggravātus, past participle of aggravāre "to weigh down, burden, oppress, make worse," from ad- ad- + gravāre "to make heavy, weigh down," verbal derivative of gravis "heavy" — more at grieve

First Known Use

1530, in the meaning defined at sense 3a

Time Traveler
The first known use of aggravate was in 1530

Dictionary Entries Near aggravate

Cite this Entry

“Aggravate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/aggravate. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

aggravate

verb
ag·​gra·​vate ˈag-rə-ˌvāt How to pronounce aggravate (audio)
aggravated; aggravating
1
: to make more serious or severe
aggravate an injury
2
: to make angry by bothering again and again
Etymology

from Latin aggravare "to make heavier," from ad- "to" and gravare "to burden," from gravis "heavy" — related to grave entry 3, gravity, grieve

Medical Definition

aggravate

transitive verb
ag·​gra·​vate ˈag-rə-ˌvāt How to pronounce aggravate (audio)
aggravated; aggravating
1
: to make worse, more serious, or more severe
movement may aggravate the pain
2
: to produce inflammation in : irritate
surgery aggravated the nerve

Legal Definition

aggravate

transitive verb
ag·​gra·​vate ˈa-grə-ˌvāt How to pronounce aggravate (audio)
aggravated; aggravating
: to make more serious, more severe, or worse
maliciousness aggravated the offense
aggravating factors
compare mitigate
aggravation noun

More from Merriam-Webster on aggravate

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