exasperating

adjective

ex·​as·​per·​at·​ing ig-ˈza-spə-ˌrā-tiŋ How to pronounce exasperating (audio)
: causing strong feelings of irritation or annoyance
an exasperating delay
After the most frustrating, aggravating and exasperating two days of his career …Jack Curry
The following days brought light fluky winds and I made only 35 miles of progress in two days. It was very exasperating.Tom Peterson
exasperatingly adverb
an exasperatingly slow process
The heater warmed up slowly; its temperature was exasperatingly difficult to adjust. Consumer Reports

Examples of exasperating in a Sentence

those exasperating details that come with almost any job
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Add it all up, and this season was more of an exasperating shortfall than a stumble — even if some stunning scoring droughts and recklessness on the basepaths conjured that feeling at times. Kansas City Star, 1 Oct. 2025 Its central character, Chevy Chase's Clark W. Griswold, is a dopey dad trying to keep it together amid an escalating series of exasperating frustrations and ignoble temptations. Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Sep. 2025 With a 6-2 defeat to the Mariners on Thursday at T-Mobile Park, the Rockies now have 116 losses in this exasperating season, joining the ’62 Mets as the worst NL teams since 1901. Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 26 Sep. 2025 Most importantly, Lee in fact does get punched in the mouth, and other places, early and often, because the series keenly understands how exasperating its hero is much of the time. Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 4 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for exasperating

Word History

First Known Use

1592, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of exasperating was in 1592

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Cite this Entry

“Exasperating.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/exasperating. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.

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