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

Relevance

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 Brents has been nursing a neck/shoulder injury for the past two weeks and re-aggravated it in Sunday’s 28-25 win over the Jets. — Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 29 Oct. 2026 The fighting on the Ethiopian side of the border stems from a territorial dispute between the Oromia and Somali regional administrations, aggravated by the killing of a 13-year-old girl in an area administered by the Somali regional administration. — ABC News, 27 Oct. 2026 Edge rusher Myles Garrett aggravated a left knee injury and underwent surgery. — Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026 Outside linebackers Jalen Phillips (hamstring, aggravated from a week ago) and Thomas Incoom (calf) are being evaluated. — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 19 Oct. 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
  • Raymond Lopez, alderman of Chicago’s 15th Ward, told the station that the other driver appeared to be annoyed about something that happened several blocks back.
    — Adam England, PEOPLE, 6 Nov. 2026
  • Studio executives who annoyed her might find their films receiving tepid coverage.
    — Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of annoy
Verb
  • About one-third of younger GOP voters said Trump had worsened the country's economic conditions, compared with about 2 in 10 older Republican voters.
    — STEVEN SLOAN, Arkansas Online, 8 Nov. 2026
  • However, an older study from 2012 found that drinking cold water can worsen achalasia.
    — Carrie Madormo, Verywell Health, 8 Nov. 2026
Definition of worsen
Verb
  • That mismatch can lead to issues ranging from irritating residue to expensive repairs.
    — Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Nov. 2026
  • These extra steps are irritating, as non-Amazon ereaders tend to be much more forgiving when loading your own media.
    — Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of irritate
Verb
  • Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz — who was visiting in a bid to deepen trade ties — were both in attendance.
    — Ian King, CNBC, 7 Nov. 2026
  • Hedge funds and other investors who borrow to make bigger bets may have to sell more stocks to cover losses and meet demands for cash, which can deepen a sell-off.
    — Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN Money, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of deepen
Verb
  • In fact, the movie doesn’t even bother revealing Fang’s ultimate fate; but then again, he’s been fully vindicated in the court of public opinion, so who cares?
    — Todd Gilchrist, Variety, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Nothing shows the world that the outside noise doesn’t bother you quite like preparing a statement ahead of time about how much the outside noise doesn’t bother you.
    — Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of bother
Verb
  • Critics have raised concerns over the ballooning price tag for taxpayers, along with transportation, parking and environmental challenges expected to be exacerbated by the project.
    — Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 7 Nov. 2026
  • The conflict was exacerbated further when population increases coincided with an abundance of natural resources, as in oil-rich Nigeria, which experienced roughly 150% growth in population between 1940 and 1980.
    — Daron Acemoglu, Time, 7 Nov. 2026
Definition of exacerbate
Verb
  • The Department of Justice’s prosecution of a Saudi national for allegedly bugging an OpenAI conference room is causing anxiety among OpenAI employees, many of whom are foreign nationals.
    — Benjamin Guggenheim, Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2026
  • On Monday, a court granted the US government’s request to deny release of a former OpenAI engineer accused of bugging a top-secret conference room to steal the frontier lab’s secrets.
    — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of bug
Verb
  • The Daily Caller is clearly positioning itself for a landscape not just post-midterms but post- Trump, and for a bitter and intensifying intra-party media battle.
    — Max Tani, semafor.com, 2 Nov. 2026
  • This weekend's shows fell during the ceasefire, but the company plans to perform next weekend as usual, even as local officials warn that Russian forces have brought in more weapons and personnel and some residents expect shelling to intensify.
    — HANNA ARHIROVA, Arkansas Online, 2 Nov. 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 10 Nov. 2026.

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