exasperate
Americanverb (used with object)
adjective
verb
-
to cause great irritation or anger to; infuriate
-
to cause (an unpleasant feeling, condition, etc) to worsen; aggravate
adjective
Related Words
See irritate.
Other Word Forms
- exasperatedly adverb
- exasperater noun
- exasperating adjective
- exasperatingly adverb
- exasperation noun
- unexasperating adjective
Etymology
Origin of exasperate
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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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.
Panjabi portrays Reena’s mother, Suman, a reserved but resolute woman and member of the Jehovah’s Witness faith who runs a home with rules that exasperate her eldest child.
From Los Angeles Times • May 29, 2024
The issues exasperate many of the remaining businesses.
From Seattle Times • Jan. 23, 2024
However, quite how the hosts did not manage to win will mystify and exasperate the new man at the helm.
From BBC • Oct. 18, 2022
The series can tend toward the twee, and the characters can exasperate.
From New York Times • Sep. 1, 2022
Such things exasperate a soldier more than the front-line.
From "All Quiet on the Western Front: A Novel" by Erich Maria Remarque
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.
