aggravation

American  

[ag-ruh-vey-shuhn] / ˌæg rəˈveɪ ʃən /

noun

• aggravations
  plural

1. an increase in intensity, seriousness, or severity; act of making worse.

   an aggravation of pain.

2. the state of being aggravated.

3. something that causes an increase in intensity, degree, or severity.

4. annoyance; exasperation.

   Johnny causes me so much aggravation!

5. a source or cause of annoyance or exasperation.

   Johnny's such an aggravation to her!

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Usage

See aggravate.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• overaggravation
  noun
• preaggravation
  noun
• superaggravation
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• aggravations
  plural

Etymology

Origin of aggravation

1475–85; < Medieval Latin aggravātiōn- (stem of aggravātiō ); see aggravate, -ion

Explanation

An aggravation is something that makes a situation or condition worse. Getting hot and sweaty might result in an aggravation of your poison ivy rash. An aggravation of symptoms in a hospital patient is a bad sign — things are becoming more serious. Another, less formal way to use the noun aggravation is to mean something that annoys or bothers you. You might say, "Having to take the bus is such an aggravation — I'd much rather drive my car." The Latin root of aggravation is aggravare, "make heavier," or "increase in oppressiveness."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

aggravation aggravations

For players coming back from injuries, balancing the need for court time and the risk of aggravation is delicate.

From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026

Ms. Wilde and Mr. Rogen’s fast-paced, zig-zagging, slightly crazy quarrels create the sense that these two people have known each other for a very long time and have a special talent for mutual aggravation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026

Sweeping contentious issues under the rug and relegating them to wanton aggravation is one major way of letting these same topics fester.

From Salon ● Apr. 3, 2026

Redick said it was an aggravation of a previous injury suffered last week.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 23, 2025

His rules proved a real source of aggravation for me.

From "While the World Watched: A Birmingham Bombing Survivor Comes of Age during the Civil Rights Movement" by Carolyn Maull McKinstry

There, among the seamstresses in training, Duncan met other welfare mothers, equally desperate, and recognized the stinginess, indifference and bureaucratic aggravations she’d been suffering in isolation were part of a larger system.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026

This time there were no setbacks or aggravations.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2024

On Saturday Mr Niinisto called Mr Putin to tell him of the Finnish decision and later said the call had been "direct and straight-forward" and "conducted without aggravations".

From BBC ● May 15, 2022

But two aggravations of the present — inflation and supply-chain pressures — are encroaching at concession stands that have long sold sandwiches and sweets to the well-heeled for rock-bottom prices.

From New York Times ● Apr. 6, 2022

And in fact the afternoon took the form of an ever-growing pile of aggravations.

From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover

Related Words

• irritation