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aggravate

verb

ˈa-grə-ˌvāt How to pronounce aggravate (audio)
Definition of aggravatenext
1
as in to annoy
to disturb the peace of mind of (someone) especially by repeated disagreeable acts it really aggravates me when I arrive 10 minutes before the stated closing time, and the store's closed already

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to worsen
to make more severe overheated rhetoric that only aggravated an already tense situation

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of aggravate Bateman’s 27 routes led Baltimore’s receivers, while Zay Flowers aggravated a hamstring injury and rookie Ja’Kobi Lane fractured his wrist. — Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Sep. 2026 Fairbanks aggravated the injury while walking Arizona’s Gabriel Moreno to lead off the ninth inning of Monday’s game in Arizona, while trying to protect a 7-6 lead. — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 15 Sep. 2026 The shutdown, which could last for weeks – the extent of the damage is not yet clear – is aggravating an already tough situation for the global oil market. — Anna Cooban, CNN Money, 14 Sep. 2026 This is then aggravated by the situation of some riders not wearing helmets. — Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 11 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for aggravate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for aggravate
  1. annoy
  2. worsen
  3. irritate
  4. deepen
  5. bother
  6. exacerbate
  7. bug
  8. intensify
Verb
  • Part of me is annoyed that the process didn’t hand me a neat solution.
    — Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Taking out anger and frustration on an innocent bystander is a surefire way to annoy those around you.
    — Joey Skladany, Travel + Leisure, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of annoy
Verb
  • These holes are notorious for getting plugged with debris, worsening water accumulation.
    — Kamron Sanders, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 Sep. 2026
  • Many identified themselves as teachers, noting that pandemic-era disruptions to in-class learning severely worsened reading deficits.
    — Chris Fusco, Sacbee.com, 27 Sep. 2026
Definition of worsen
Verb
  • The gaps that irritate people daily are rarely the gaps that can hurt the company.
    — Jeremy Bradley-Silverio Donato, Forbes.com, 25 Sep. 2026
  • This metric is a little misleading—most bills that get introduced never go anywhere—and the claim tends to irritate Collins’s critics.
    — Emma Green, New Yorker, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of irritate
Verb
  • Settler attacks damaged or seized about 160 Palestinian water and sanitation structures this year, deepening shortages that are forcing farmers to abandon fields and threatening local livelihoods.
    — Melanie Lidman, Los Angeles Times, 26 Sep. 2026
  • Finally, deepen expertise in areas such as governance, privacy, cybersecurity, risk or compliance.
    — Punit Bhatia, Forbes.com, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of deepen
Verb
  • In Levittown, the cost-cutting builders at first hadn’t even bothered with tanks and had installed cesspools instead—three decades later, the suburb’s sewer system was still under construction.
    — Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Professionally, Bernat didn’t bother to answer a Florida Department of Health administrative complaint detailing the charges in the Alzheimer patient’s case.
    — David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of bother
Verb
  • According to Dashika Balak, a doctor who leads Fiji's national HIV treatment, care and support efforts, the risk of HIV transmission has also been exacerbated by a nationwide shift from smoking meth to injecting it.
    — David Cox, NPR, 26 Sep. 2026
  • Now, soaring attacks by settlers are exacerbating the problem.
    — Melanie Lidman, Los Angeles Times, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of exacerbate
Verb
  • As a Bears fan, McDermott doesn’t want to disrupt the team and bug McCaskey or Warren too much.
    — Ryan Canfield OutKick, FOXNews.com, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Irwin is uncertain if the second infestation of bed bugs last weekend were ones that weren’t caught the first time, or if a person brought new bed bugs in.
    — Susan Bromley, Freep.com, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of bug
Verb
  • Currently, the interplay of elevated interest rates and high oil prices is intensifying risk aversion across global markets, suggesting capital outflow pressure on emerging market bonds could persist for some time.
    — , CNBC, 29 Sep. 2026
  • North Korea has intensified tensions with a series of military displays this month, including short-range ballistic missile launches, live-fire missile and artillery exercises, and the commissioning of a new warship.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of intensify

Browse Nearby Words

aggrandizing
aggravate
aggravated
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Cite this Entry

“Aggravate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/aggravate. Accessed 30 Sep. 2026.

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