aggravation

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noun ag·gra·va·tion \ ˌa-grə-ˈvā-shən \

Definition of aggravation

1 :an act or circumstance that intensifies something or makes something worse

His interference was an aggravation of the situation.

2 :the act, action, or result of aggravating something or someone; especially :an increasing in seriousness or severity

aggravation of an injury

3 :irritation, provocation

Her job involves a lot of stress and aggravation.

See aggravation defined for English-language learners

See aggravation 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 aggravation in a Sentence

trying to avoid the aggravation of an existing back problem
I don't need all this aggravation.
This car has caused me nothing but aggravation.
Many talented people now feel that a career in politics isn't worth all the aggravation.
I don't need all these aggravations.

Recent Examples of aggravation from the Web

Our trip was born from the sort of desperate aggravation only the parents of a 14-year-old boy can feel.

— paul daugherty, Cincinnati.com, "Paul Daugherty: Fathers and sons, and what matters most," 21 Aug. 2017
But Congressional Republicans and the conservative movement regard the tax cuts as their payout for the aggravation and embarrassment of Trump’s presidency.

— jonathan chait, Daily Intelligencer, "President Trump Promises to Raise Taxes on Rich, Is Lying," 25 July 2017
In turn, India, because of the constant aggravation from Pakistan, has become bad-tempered with its smaller neighbours.

— The Economist, "Hissing cousinsWhy India and Pakistan hate each other," 22 July 2017
He was cleared for full contact Sunday, though Miller and his staff have been cautious about bringing the Cathedral alum back into basketball activity, not seeing much point in risking aggravation — or worse, re-injury — right now.

— zach osterman, The Courier-Journal, "Insider: Archie Miller 'anxious' as his first IU team takes shape," 11 July 2017
He was cleared for full contact Sunday, though Miller and his staff have been cautious about bringing the Cathedral alum back into basketball activity, not seeing much point in risking aggravation — or worse, re-injury — right now.

— zach osterman, Indianapolis Star, "Insider: Archie Miller 'anxious' as his first IU team takes shape," 11 July 2017
There are times when black America’s feathers are ruffled, and our reaction does not come from anger or aggravation but from wonder.

— michael harriot, The Root, "Dear NBC: A Slave Cannot Be a ‘Mistress’," 8 July 2017
But Swoboda also heard from others, such as military veterans and pet owners, saying the loud sounds are an unwelcome aggravation — particularly during sleeping hours.

— janelle walker, Elgin Courier-News, "Citations for illegal fireworks up this Fourth of July in Elgin," 6 July 2017
And the long, leisurely days of summer (even if the kids are hopscotching across Baltimore for a hodge-podge of camps, like my three are) heighten the aggravation factor even more.

— tanika davis, baltimoresun.com, "For parents, summer break is the best of times and the worst of times," 15 June 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of aggravation

see aggravate

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1546

See Words from the same year

aggravation Synonyms

Synonyms

annoyance, aggro [British], bother, botheration, bugbear, exasperation, frustration, hair shirt, hassle, headache, inconvenience, irk, irritant, nuisance, peeve, pest, rub, ruffle, thorn, trial, vexation

Related Words

discomfort, fleabite, pinprick; affront, insult, offense (or offence); upset, worry; affliction, albatross, burden, cross, curse, menace, millstone, plague, sore; anxiety, plight, predicament, tribulation, trouble; hang-up, pet peeve, problem; annoyer, disturber, harasser, mischief, offender; pandora's box

Near Antonyms

delight, joy, pleasure

AGGRAVATION Defined for English Language Learners

aggravation

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noun

Definition of aggravation for English Language Learners

: the act or result of making a condition, injury, etc., worse : the act or result of aggravating something
: something that annoys or bothers someone : something that aggravates someone