aggravating
adjective
ag·gra·vat·ing
ˈa-grə-ˌvā-tiŋ 
1
informal
: arousing displeasure, impatience, or anger
an aggravating habit
2
: increasing the seriousness of (a crime)
aggravating circumstances like recklessness
Usage of Aggravate, Aggravated, Aggravating, and Aggravation
Aggravate can mean both "to make worse or more serious" and "to make angry or irritated especially by bothering again and again," but writers for most of the 20th century were advised against the latter, and this meaning is still not encountered frequently in formal contexts. Likewise, the meanings of aggravated, aggravating, and aggravation that relate to anger or irritation are most at home in informal use.
Examples of aggravating in a Sentence
there's nothing so aggravating as a blaring car alarm that no one is paying any attention to
Recent Examples on the Web
In 1994, the Florida Supreme Court ordered a new sentencing after finding that the trial court had mishandled evaluating aggravating and mitigating circumstances.
—
Cbs Miami Team,
CBS News,
25 June 2026
Prosecutors said the jury’s conviction included aggravating factors for crimes that involved great violence, great bodily harm, a threat of great bodily harm and violence with a serious danger to society.
—
Rosalio Ahumada,
Sacbee.com,
22 June 2026
The personal-conduct policy also cites violence against a pregnant woman as an aggravating factor when considering the severity of punishment.
—
Nate Atkins,
New York Times,
15 June 2026
Of course, the effectiveness of lavender in protecting an area from aggravating pests—like mosquitoes, fleas, and flies—depends on the number of plants.
—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
The Spruce,
14 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for aggravating
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Cbs Miami Team,
CBS News,
25 June 2026
Prosecutors said the jury’s conviction included aggravating factors for crimes that involved great violence, great bodily harm, a threat of great bodily harm and violence with a serious danger to society.
—
Rosalio Ahumada,
Sacbee.com,
22 June 2026
The personal-conduct policy also cites violence against a pregnant woman as an aggravating factor when considering the severity of punishment.
—
Nate Atkins,
New York Times,
15 June 2026
Of course, the effectiveness of lavender in protecting an area from aggravating pests—like mosquitoes, fleas, and flies—depends on the number of plants.
—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
The Spruce,
14 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for aggravating
Cite this Entry
“Aggravating.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/aggravating. Accessed 3 Jul. 2026.
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