aggravate

verb ag·gra·vate \ ˈa-grə-ˌvāt \

Updated on: 21 Apr 2018

Definition of aggravate

aggravated; aggravating

transitive verb

1 : to make worse, more serious, or more severe : to intensify unpleasantly

problems have been aggravated by neglect

2 a : to rouse to displeasure or anger by usually persistent and often petty goading

were aggravated by the noise and traffic

b : to produce inflammation in

3 obsolete

a : to make heavy : burden

b : increase

See aggravate defined for English-language learners

See aggravate defined for kids

Common Uses of aggravate, aggravation, and aggravating

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 of aggravate from the Web

This trifecta can aggravate your allergies, Dr. O’Connor says.

— korin miller, SELF, "How to Finally Get Rid of All the Dust in Your Home That's Making You Sick," 13 Apr. 2018
Defender Julie Ertz, who aggravated a knee injury during the SheBelieves Cup, also was unavailable for the match.

— pro soccer usa staff and wire report, Pro Soccer USA, "Alex Morgan brace helps USWNT earn 4-1 win over Mexico," 5 Apr. 2018
Pro-growth policies are aggravating imbalances, investors say Speculation is growing that Erdogan may seek early elections The Turkish economy is overheating.

— Bloomberg.com, "Turkey Overheating Means Race Against Time for Erdogan," 3 Apr. 2018
Tahnee Gonzales and Elizabeth Dauenhauer were indicted March 22 on charges of third-degree burglary and aggravated criminal damage after a video posted to Gonzales' Facebook page showed them swiping items from the Islamic Community Center of Tempe.

— maria polletta, azcentral, "Women who pilfered items from Tempe mosque plead not guilty to all charges," 29 Mar. 2018
According to a waiter who spoke to PureWow.com, there are a few questions that are guaranteed to aggravate the servers at dining spot.

— melissa locker, Southern Living, "These Are The Most Annoying Restaurant Requests, According to Waiters," 24 Mar. 2018
Different foods aggravate symptoms in different people, so keeping a meal diary for a few weeks to find your trigger foods is essential.

— janis graham, Redbook, "Queasy? Bloated? Here's How to Cure Your Stomachache, Fast," 28 Nov. 2017
Louisiana is one of only two states where people convicted of second-degree murder and aggravated rape don't automatically get access to parole.

— julia o'donoghue, NOLA.com, "Louisiana changed a law to release more sick, old prisoners. Now, there's an effort to undo that," 3 Apr. 2018
Through the first quarter of the year, robberies were down by about 18 percent, aggravated assaults by 24 percent and burglaries by 27 percent.

— kevin rector, baltimoresun.com, "Baltimore crime continues trending below 2017, though gunfire marred holiday weekend," 2 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'aggravate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of aggravate

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1530

in the meaning defined at sense 3

See Words from the same year

aggravate Synonyms

AGGRAVATE Defined for English Language Learners

aggravate

verb

Definition of aggravate for English Language Learners

: to make (an injury, problem, etc.) more serious or severe
: to make (someone) angry : to annoy or bother (someone)

AGGRAVATE Defined for Kids

aggravate

verb ag·gra·vate \ ˈa-grə-ˌvāt \

Definition of aggravate for Students

aggravated; aggravating

1 : to make worse or more serious

aggravate an injury

Don't aggravate an already bad situation.

2 : to make angry usually by bothering again and again

All of these delays really aggravate me.

Word Root of aggravate

The Latin word gravis, meaning “heavy” or “serious,” gives us the root grav. Words from the Latin gravis have something to do with heaviness or seriousness. Something grave, or important, such as a situation, requires serious thought and consideration. To aggravate is to make a situation more serious. Gravity is a force that pulls everything towards the ground making it feel heavy.