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View synonyms for exasperate

exasperate

[ ig-zas-puh-reyt ]

verb (used with object)

, ex·as·per·at·ed, ex·as·per·at·ing.
  1. to irritate or provoke to a high degree; annoy extremely:

    He was exasperated by the senseless delays.

    Synonyms: infuriate, inflame, vex, anger, provoke, incense

  2. Archaic. to increase the intensity or violence of (disease, pain, feelings, etc.).

    Synonyms: exacerbate



adjective

  1. Botany. rough; covered with hard, projecting points, as a leaf.

exasperate

/ ɪɡˈzɑːspəˌreɪt /

verb

  1. to cause great irritation or anger to; infuriate
  2. to cause (an unpleasant feeling, condition, etc) to worsen; aggravate
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


adjective

  1. botany having a rough prickly surface because of the presence of hard projecting points
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • exˌasperˈation, noun
  • exˈasperˌater, noun
  • exˈasperˌatedly, adverb
  • exˈasperˌating, adjective
  • exˈasperˌatingly, adverb
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Other Words From

  • ex·as·per·at·er noun
  • ex·as·per·at·ing·ly adverb
  • un·ex·as·per·at·ing adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of exasperate1

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
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Word History and Origins

Origin of exasperate1

C16: from Latin exasperāre to make rough, from asper rough
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Compare Meanings

How does exasperate compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

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Synonym Study

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Example Sentences

The most common source of stress is other people, she added, but those who age successfully get the benefits of socializing without feeling threatened or exasperated by others.

From Time

I was exasperated trying to figure out how to tell people to cook it this way, with this amount of heat.

From Time

We observe the way Alex exasperates employers, daycare workers and grocery clerks by simply existing in her current, impossible state.

From Time

“A Buckhead secession only exasperates a problem that has been there for decades.”

Washington was similarly exasperated during World War I when Britain used its control over international communications to limit news about the war as well as day-to-day economic information.

As long as Congresses and Presidents exasperate each other, Schlesinger will have an audience, and an afterlife.

Just to exasperate Dayton further I put in a plea for gifts as against character in educational, artistic, and legislative work.

For—perhaps this was partly the effect of the unrelenting heat—her insipid coquetries had begun to exasperate me more and more.

What divisions separate the human race, and exasperate men against each other!

She added several other Sayings which instead of pacifying this silly Queen, did but exasperate her the more.

It seems to me that the best way is to describe, with the simplest precision, those things that exasperate one.

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exarchateexasperated