aggravate

American  

[ag-ruh-veyt] / ˈæg rəˌveɪt /

verb (used with object)

aggravated, aggravating

1. to make worse or more severe; intensify, as anything evil, disorderly, or troublesome.

   to aggravate a grievance; to aggravate an illness.

   Synonyms:

   increase, heighten

   Antonyms:

   alleviate

2. to annoy; irritate; exasperate.

   His questions aggravate her.

   Synonyms:

   rile, vex, anger

3. to cause to become irritated or inflamed.

   The child's constant scratching aggravated the rash.

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aggravate British  

/ ˈæɡrəˌveɪt /

verb

1. to make (a disease, situation, problem, etc) worse or more severe

2. informal to annoy; exasperate, esp by deliberate and persistent goading

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Usage

The two most common senses of aggravate are “to make worse” and “to annoy or exasperate.” Both senses first appeared in the early 17th century at almost the same time; the corresponding two senses of the noun aggravation also appeared then. Both senses of aggravate and aggravation have been standard since then. The use of aggravate to mean “annoy” is sometimes objected to because it departs from the etymological meaning “to make heavier,” and in formal speech and writing the sense “annoy” is somewhat less frequent than “to make worse.” The noun aggravation meaning “annoyance” occurs in all types of speech and writing.

Related Words

Aggravate, intensify both mean to increase in degree. To aggravate is to make more serious or more grave: to aggravate a danger, an offense, a wound. To intensify is perceptibly to increase intensity, force, energy, vividness, etc.: to intensify heat, color, rage.

Other Word Forms

• aggravating adjective
• aggravation noun
• aggravative adjective
• aggravator noun
• overaggravate verb (used with object)
• preaggravate verb (used with object)
• reaggravate verb (used with object)

Etymology

Origin of aggravate

1425–75; late Middle English < Latin aggravātus (past participle of aggravāre ), equivalent to ag- ag- + grav- ( grave ² ) + -ātus -ate ¹; aggrieve

Explanation

People who chew with their mouths open often aggravate the people near them, meaning that they exasperate their neighbors. One trick for remembering the meaning of aggravate is to recall that it rhymes with one of its synonyms, irritate. When you irritate, you aggravate. Younger brothers often aggravate their older brothers, because they find it entertaining to get a reaction out of them. Aggravate is also used to mean "make worse." For example, if you have an old knee injury, it's probably best not to climb Mount Everest, because you might aggravate the injury. If your house is in foreclosure, calling your banker an ugly name is likely only to aggravate the situation. Try a little sweet talk instead!

Example Sentences

And people do leave, including the ones Lemon seems to aggravate the most.

From Slate • Feb. 4, 2026

This heightened sensitivity can aggravate high blood pressure, diabetes and other chronic illnesses as well as raise the risks of accidents, falls and fractures.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 16, 2025

For other patients, judgmental remarks from providers aggravate the effects of physical pain by making patients feel ashamed of or even responsible for it.

From Salon • Jun. 9, 2025

Without complementary requirements for hardening the homes themselves, widespread clearing of landscaping immediately around homes could do little to reduce risk and could even aggravate the danger.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 2, 2025

“And it’s possible you hid it somewhere, to aggravate me.”

From "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini

Related Words

• complicate
• deepen
• exacerbate
• exaggerate
• heighten
• inflame
• intensify
• magnify
• worsen