exasperation

ex·as·per·a·tion | \ ig-ˌza-spə-ˈrā-shən

How to pronounce exasperation (audio)

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Definition of exasperation

1 : the state of being exasperated

2 : the act or an instance of exasperating someone

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Examples of exasperation in a Sentence

They had all experienced the exasperation and frustration of holiday shopping. add people who use cell phones inconsiderately to the list of daily exasperations

Recent Examples on the Web Justice Ostrager didn’t try to hide his exasperation with Greg Peck, a hotel operator and partner in Woodstock 50 with co-founder Michael Lang (who wasn’t in court for the hearing). — Harley Brown, Billboard, "Woodstock 50 Hearing Heading Into Second Day," 13 May 2019 During the talks, officials from many of those small countries spoke with exasperation about the pace and tenor of the proceedings, saying they had been excluded from key negotiations and stonewalled by major-emitting nations. — Washington Post, "U.N. climate talks end with hard feelings, few results and new doubts about global unity," 15 Dec. 2019 Perhaps the awakening derived from exasperation, of laying another early egg at home, in a pivotal playoff-positioning matchup. — Dallas News, "‘It’s embarrassing': Mavericks left looking for answers after another mystifying home loss vs. the Jazz," 11 Feb. 2020 Cheerful, red-shirted, 20-somethings flooded the hallways to field questions, exasperations, and occasional full-fledged breakdowns. — Danielle Ofri, STAT, "The EMR has changed the doctor-patient duet into a ménage-à-trois," 31 Oct. 2019 This one had its moments of exasperation, as the game dragged into the 13th inning, but the finish was priceless. — Bruce Jenkins, SFChronicle.com, "Big crowd, big emotions for Madison Bumgarner’s start," 24 July 2019 That exasperation was on stark display last November when Augusto Nunes, a conservative magazine columnist, who was sparring with Mr. Greenwald on a live radio show, took a swing at the American journalist. — New York Times, "Glenn Greenwald in Bolsonaro’s Brazil: ‘I Trigger a Lot of Their Primal Rage’," 25 Jan. 2020 What Gervais might have asked for—if his posture weren’t simply grab-bag exasperation with Hollywood—was better political speech. — Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, "Ricky Gervais Almost Got It Right on Hollywood Hypocrisy," 6 Jan. 2020 In the cultural sphere, Maurizio Cattelan’s $120,000 banana epitomized the public’s confusion and exasperation over conceptual art, while a Renaissance nun’s Last Supper painting made its public debut after 450 years in hiding. — Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, "Our Top Ten Stories of 2019," 27 Dec. 2019

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

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Last Updated

4 Apr 2020

Cite this Entry

“Exasperation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/exasperation. Accessed 9 Apr. 2020.

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