aggravated
Americanadjective
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I get so aggravated when I get this much junk mail.
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made worse or more severe; intensified.
Stress impedes the emptying of the stomach, which can lead to aggravated heartburn.
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Law. characterized by some feature defined by law that enhances the crime, as the intention of the criminal or the special vulnerability of the victim.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of aggravated
Explanation
When you see the word aggravated in the description of a crime, it's a more serious crime. Aggravated assault is more than a punch in the nose — it’s assault with the intent of causing serious bodily harm. Aggravated is built on the Latin root gravis "heavy," as in gravity, and with the prefix ad-, it means "to make heavy." So robbery is one thing, but aggravated robbery is not only robbing someone, but also causing physical harm, and the punishment would be harsher than for simple robbery. The word is used more casually to mean "angered" — you're likely to be an aggravated customer if you’ve been waiting in line forever and someone cuts in front of you.
Vocabulary lists containing aggravated
The New SAT: Words to Capture Tone
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The SAT: Words to Capture Tone, List 6
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ACT Reading Test: Words to Capture Tone, List 2
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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.
The oil blockade has aggravated the country's worst economic and energy crisis in decades, leading to warnings of a humanitarian disaster.
From Barron's • May 7, 2026
MacInnes is suing for aggravated damages over Wilson's posts and to stop Wilson from repeating those claims online.
From BBC • Apr. 27, 2026
But peer a little closer, and one could see that the brushstrokes lost their consistency and that the lines were harsher, more aggravated.
From Salon • Apr. 17, 2026
Zayas has pleaded not guilty to four counts of healthcare fraud and two counts of aggravated identity theft.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2026
The place was crowded with loud American children and their aggravated parents.
From "Genuine Fraud" by E. Lockhart
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
