exasperate

[ verb ig-zas-puh-reyt; adjective ig-zas-per-it ]

/ verb ɪgˈzæs pəˌreɪt; adjective ɪgˈzæs pər ɪt /

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verb (used with object), ex·as·per·at·ed, ex·as·per·at·ing.

to irritate or provoke to a high degree; annoy extremely: He was exasperated by the senseless delays.

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

adjective

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

Nearby words

Origin of exasperate

1525–35; < Latin exasperātus (past participle of exasperāre to make rough, provoke), equivalent to ex- ex-¹ + asper harsh, rough + -ātus -ate¹

SYNONYMS FOR exasperate

1. incense, anger, vex, inflame, infuriate. 2. exacerbate.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR exasperate ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

ex·as·per·at·ed·ly, adverbex·as·per·at·er, nounex·as·per·at·ing·ly, adverbun·ex·as·per·at·ed, adjective

un·ex·as·per·at·ing, adjective

Can be confusedexacerbate exasperate

Synonym study

1. See irritate.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for exasperated

As I hasten to reassure these exasperated moms and dads, I had to be in the office anyway.
The Doctor’s Note Must Die!|Russell Saunders|September 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Finally, an exasperated Eisenhower ordered the support necessary to help recover Paris.
Who Liberated Paris in August 1944?||August 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
After angrily sharing a secret about the friend who posted about him, he catches himself and laughs, exasperated.
The App Bringing Out The Best/Worst in Washington’s Gays|Scott Bixby|May 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Exasperated at one point, Corker asked, “Well do we need an AUMF or not?”
Obama Admin. Channels Cheney, Claims Unlimited War Powers|Eli Lake|May 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST

One member in particular, Colonel Leicester Stanhope, exasperated Byron by wasting money on nonsense.
Poet and Rake, Lord Byron Was Also an Interventionist With Brains and Savvy|Michael Weiss|February 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
"There is one thing," said Mrs. Somerton, exasperated by this attack.
Margaret Capel, v. 1 of 3|Ellen Wallace
The whole force amounted to several hundred fighting men, gloomy and exasperated by their late disaster.
The Adventures of Captain Bonneville|Washington Irving
Reason: an exasperated parent who had followed from Meru for the purpose of reclaiming his runaway offspring.
The Land of Footprints|Stewart Edward White
It never recovered the devastation committed by Cambyses, who was exasperated by its resistance.
The Anabasis of Alexander|Arrian of Nicomedia
Not that he had much compunction about killing them, but it would only have exasperated the people, without driving them away.
Ralph Clavering|W.H.G. Kingston

British Dictionary definitions for exasperated

exasperate

/ (ɪɡˈzɑːspəˌreɪt) /

verb (tr)

to cause great irritation or anger to; infuriate

to cause (an unpleasant feeling, condition, etc) to worsen; aggravate

adjective

botany having a rough prickly surface because of the presence of hard projecting points

Derived Forms

exasperatedly, adverbexasperater, nounexasperating, adjectiveexasperatingly, adverb

exasperation, noun

Word Origin for exasperate

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

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

Word Origin and History for exasperated

exasperate

1530s, from Latin exasperatus, past participle of exasperare "roughen, irritate, provoke," from ex- "thoroughly" (see ex-) + asper "rough" (see asperity). Related: Exasperated; exasperating.

exasperate

verb (used with object), ex·as·per·at·ed, ex·as·per·at·ing.

adjective

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of exasperate

Synonym study

Examples from the Web for exasperated

exasperate

verb (tr)

adjective

Word Origin for exasperate

exasperate