aggravated
[ag-ruh-vey-tid]
- annoyed; irritated: I get so aggravated when I get this much junk mail.
- 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: aggravated assault; aggravated rape.
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Origin of aggravated
aggravate
[ag-ruh-veyt]
- to make worse or more severe; intensify, as anything evil, disorderly, or troublesome: to aggravate a grievance; to aggravate an illness.
- to annoy; irritate; exasperate: His questions aggravate her.
- to cause to become irritated or inflamed: The child's constant scratching aggravated the rash.
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Origin of aggravate
Synonyms
See more synonyms for aggravate on Thesaurus.com1. heighten, increase. 2. anger, vex, rile.
Synonym study
1. 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.
Antonyms
1. alleviate.
Usage note
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.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for aggravated
Contemporary Examples
Two weeks before trial, Beebe pleaded guilty to a single charge of aggravated sexual battery.
On Monday, Kurilla was arraigned on charges of criminal homicide and aggravated assault.
10-Year-Old Murder Defendant Shows Failure of U.S. Juvenile Justice SystemChristopher Moraff
October 18, 2014
The two responding officers, Cuong Sam and Bryon Hargis, could have charged Rice with aggravated assault, a felony.
Ray Rice Should Have Remembered His 'Kindness' Anti-Bullying WristbandMichael Daly
September 10, 2014
The charge against Palmer was dropped, and Rice was indicted on a higher charge of aggravated assault.
Ray Rice Should Have Remembered His 'Kindness' Anti-Bullying WristbandMichael Daly
September 10, 2014
But the problem is aggravated immeasurably by the simplicity of current-day pop music.
Historical Examples
How often is distress, similar to this, aggravated by unkindness!
Female Scripture Biographies, Vol. IFrancis Augustus Cox
She aggravated him with all manner of caresses and endearments.
The Works of Whittier, Volume V (of VII)John Greenleaf Whittier
Perhaps from their elevation they saw the railway, and it aggravated them.
The Uncommercial TravellerCharles Dickens
In his every scheme for a huge success I took now an aggravated delight.
The HarborErnest Poole
The cruel sensations of Imogen were not aggravated by despair, but heightened by hope.
ImogenWilliam Godwin
aggravated
- law (of a criminal offence) made more serious by its circumstances
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aggravate
- to make (a disease, situation, problem, etc) worse or more severe
- informal to annoy; exasperate, esp by deliberate and persistent goading
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Word Origin
C16: from Latin aggravāre to make heavier, from gravis heavy
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for aggravated
adj.
1540s, "increased, magnified," past participle adjective from aggravate. Meaning "irritated" is from 1610s; that of "made worse" is from 1630s. The earlier adjective was simply aggravate (late 15c.).
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aggravate
v.
1520s, "make heavy, burden down," from past participle adjective aggravate "burdened; threatened" (late 15c.), from Latin aggravatus, past participle of aggravare "to render more troublesome," literally "to make heavy" (see aggravation). Earlier in this sense was aggrege (late 14c.). Meaning "to make a bad thing worse" is from 1590s; that of "exasperate, annoy" is from 1610s.
To aggravate has properly only one meaning -- to make (an evil) worse or more serious. [Fowler]
Related: Aggravated; aggravating. Phrase aggravating circumstances is recorded from 1790.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper