1
as in annoys
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 deepens
to make more severe
overheated rhetoric that only aggravated an already tense situation
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of aggravates
Money could be at the heart of the power struggle when Mars aggravates Pluto.
—
Usa Today, USA Today, 24 Sep. 2025
The minuscule particles can lead to breathing problems like bronchitis and cause inflammation that aggravates diabetes, heart disease and other health conditions.
—Mary Gilbert, CNN Money, 5 Aug. 2025
Climate change exacerbates chronic and contagious disease, worsens food and water shortages, increases the risk of pandemics, and aggravates mass displacement.
—Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Foreign Affairs, 23 Sep. 2019
Usa Today, USA Today, 24 Sep. 2025
The minuscule particles can lead to breathing problems like bronchitis and cause inflammation that aggravates diabetes, heart disease and other health conditions.
—Mary Gilbert, CNN Money, 5 Aug. 2025
Climate change exacerbates chronic and contagious disease, worsens food and water shortages, increases the risk of pandemics, and aggravates mass displacement.
—Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Foreign Affairs, 23 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for aggravates
Verb
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Ask yourself what annoys you specifically about that behavior, Davis says.—
NPR,
NPR,
28 Oct. 2025
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There are days when my running annoys my wife, my children, or my colleagues.—
Nicholas Thompson,
The Atlantic,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The film follows poets Andrea Gibson and Megan Falley as their love deepens, and the couple finds newfound appreciation for the preciousness of life after a terminal illness diagnosis.—
Addie Morfoot,
Variety,
5 Nov. 2025
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So the Barbra connection deepens and deepens.—
Joe Lynch,
Billboard,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
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What about him specifically bothers you especially in terms of poisoning the youth?—
Jayson Buford,
Rolling Stone,
3 Nov. 2025
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Really, the accuracy is the one thing that bothers me with him.—
Mike Sando,
New York Times,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The National Turkey Federation estimated last year that up to 80% of turkey flocks were infected with AMPV, which complicates the situation with the surge in bird flu.—
Cara Lynn Shultz,
PEOPLE,
8 Nov. 2025
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But Stearn, who serves on the patient advisory council for Johns Hopkins Medicine, says the loss of telehealth services complicates life for almost everyone – from the working person to Stearn's own 90-year-old mother, who hates traveling to and from the doctor.—
Yuki Noguchi,
NPR,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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But Chelsea won’t have it, shutting the whole thing down in a way that clearly irritates her.—
Anne Victoria Clark,
Vulture,
31 Oct. 2025
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The group exhausts and irritates opposing pitchers.—
Andy McCullough,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The film begins with marital and financial stressors and exacerbates them with the influence of predatory external forces.—
Alan Bradley,
Space.com,
8 Nov. 2025
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The fact that a cash-poor NASA is trying to juggle two human space flight programs—the station and moon-Mars—only exacerbates the funding problem.—
Jeffrey Kluger,
Time,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Sixteen million people risk losing all food assistance even as global hunger worsens.—
ARIF HUSAIN,
Foreign Affairs,
11 Nov. 2025
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Others may find that dairy worsens their symptoms, possibly due to its high fat content.—
Merve Ceylan,
Health,
9 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Both can reduce debris or items that attract the boxelder bugs.—
Nafeesah Allen,
Better Homes & Gardens,
23 Oct. 2025
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Chinch bugs overwinter in moist, deep thatch.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
17 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Aggravates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/aggravates. Accessed 15 Nov. 2025.
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