- present participle of aggravate.
aggravating
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of aggravating
First recorded in 1630–40; aggravat(e) + -ing 2
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.
First baseman Freddie Freeman was out of the lineup Monday managing right knee soreness, and second baseman Miguel Rojas was playing through shoulder soreness after aggravating a longstanding partial tear in a labrum.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026
Kazakhstan's cloud-seeding trials raised alarm in neighbouring Kyrgyzstan where fears were flagged of "cloud theft" -- alleging that rain clouds could be diverted to Kazakhstan, aggravating its own drought.
From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026
A sanction above the new standard minimum 10-match suspension may be imposed by a regulatory commission if there are "significant" aggravating factors.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
He said Phelan's actions were a "joint enterprise with others" which was a "serious aggravating factor".
From BBC ● Jun. 12, 2026
I also talked to Margot about Father and Mother, about how nice it could be here if they weren’t so aggravating.
From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank
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.
