exasperate
Americanverb (used with object)
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exasperates,
present (3rd person singular)
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exasperated,
past participle, past
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exasperating
present participle
adjective
verb
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to cause great irritation or anger to; infuriate
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to cause (an unpleasant feeling, condition, etc) to worsen; aggravate
adjective
Synonym Usage
See irritate.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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exasperaternoun
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exasperationnoun
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exasperatingadjective
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unexasperatingadjective
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exasperatedlyadverb
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exasperatinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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exasperatesimple
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exasperatessimple
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have exasperatedperfect
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has exasperatedperfect
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am exasperatingprogressive
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are exasperatingprogressive
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is exasperatingprogressive
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have been exasperatingperfect progressive
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has been exasperatingperfect progressive
Past
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exasperatedsimple
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had exasperatedperfect
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was exasperatingprogressive
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were exasperatingprogressive
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had been exasperatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of exasperate
First recorded in 1525–35; from Latin exasperātus (past participle of exasperāre “to make rough, provoke”), equivalent to ex- ex- 1 + asper “harsh, rough” + -ātus -ate 1
Compare meaning
How does exasperate compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
To exasperate someone is to annoy him or her to the point of impatience, frustration and irritation, like when you exasperate a busy waiter by asking questions like "what are all the ingredients in the salad dressing?" and making him repeat the specials five times. The verb exasperate comes from the Latin word exasperatus, which means “to roughen,” “irritate,” or “provoke.” To exasperate is to make something that is already bad even worse, like when sitting in traffic that is sure to make you late, you exasperate the person who is driving by bringing up an unpleasant topic, or the addition of twenty more students that exasperates the crowding in the cafeteria.
Vocabulary lists containing exasperate
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The Tragedy of Macbeth
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Held in a stifling courtroom during the peak of summer, the proceedings involved day after day of contentious confrontation as the couple sought to exasperate Li Mien, the presiding judge, at every opportunity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
He could exasperate editors with his strongly held opinions and his prodigal ways with an expense account.
From New York Times ● Jun. 6, 2024
Penn State has four 11-win seasons since 2016 under Franklin, but here are the numbers that exasperate Nittany Lions fans: 1-9 against Ohio State; 3-16 vs. top-10 teams; 1-13 vs.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 21, 2023
“They exasperate before and after. They dwell instead in a null space, a long between. Distrust anyone who tries to pin them to the pages of a book.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2023
He kicked, pounded, twisted, pushed, using his lack of size to confound and exasperate Elisha, whose damp fists, joined at the small of John’s back, soon slipped.
From "Go Tell It on the Mountain" by James Baldwin
What further exasperates the residents of the complex is that there is a GP surgery less than 100m from their building.
From BBC ● Jun. 11, 2024
Some draw comparisons with China’s relationship with North Korea, whose leadership exasperates Beijing at times with erratic behavior but nonetheless benefits from Chinese economic aid and diplomatic support.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 27, 2023
Ragnar speaks only Icelandic, which baffles and sometimes exasperates the priest.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 13, 2023
Emotions run high in Venice, the Italian island city that fascinates visitors even as it exasperates the dwindling band of local inhabitants.
From The Guardian ● Jul. 22, 2017
She exasperates him, as she does everyone who roots for her success, but he loves her mind and courage.
From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove
But even the judge last week seemed exasperated by the contentiousness of a feud that shows no sign of ending.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026
“Very quickly, I would like to say hello to Harrison Ford,” he said, looking at the actor sitting in the audience, who gave an exasperated look and waved.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026
This week, exasperated residents blocked the highway linking Tachira state to Barinas at night, banging pots and pans and honking horns in protest.
From Barron's ● Sep. 12, 2026
Reporters in the room could not hear the exchange, but the BBC saw exasperated facial expressions and gestures from Clancy's lawyer.
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026
“That’s not a question,” he groans, as though exasperated.
From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black
“When I was a kid, Christopher Columbus was a hero,” said Conte, who found the municipal exercise exasperating.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 4, 2026
Dealing with a call center or an automated teller might have been exasperating.
From Barron's ● Apr. 14, 2026
All of this makes for an exasperating experience, but what’s most aggravating is that we’ve stood for this for so long.
From Salon ● Jan. 25, 2026
At some forecourts in Bamako, motorists are met by a note bearing three, exasperating words - "no fuel today".
From BBC ● Nov. 11, 2025
She would sit in the kitchen, cold with rage and staring at the turkey, which, since Frank always bought them unplucked and with the head on, would cost her hours of exasperating, bloody labor.
From "Go Tell It on the Mountain" by James Baldwin
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
