exasperate
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.).
Botany. rough; covered with hard, projecting points, as a leaf.
Origin of exasperate
1synonym study For exasperate
Other words for exasperate
Other words from exasperate
- ex·as·per·at·er, noun
- ex·as·per·at·ing·ly, adverb
- un·ex·as·per·at·ing, adjective
Words that may be confused with exasperate
- exacerbate, exasperate
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use exasperate in a sentence
Images of crowded bars and boardwalks exasperated public health officials as the virus crept from populated metro centers to beach towns, infecting visitors who then took it back to their communities.
900,000 infected. Nearly 15,000 dead. How the coronavirus tore through D.C., Maryland and Virginia. | Rebecca Tan, Antonio Olivo, John D. Harden | February 5, 2021 | Washington PostPalmer's inability to reach a synthesis in almost any area of his life is what makes him exasperating.
It reads like a fully realized epistolary novel, by turns exasperating and poignant and always funny.
A Plot Against Living: J.F. Powers’s ‘Suitable Accommodations’ | D. G. Myers | August 20, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTBut the ugly scramble was exasperating—and leaves us facing yet another showdown before spring, says John Avlon.
Congress’s Fiscal-Cliff Chaos: House Passes Last-Minute Deal | John Avlon | January 2, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTWhile exasperating his own side, Gingrich was fascinated by the 42nd president.
How Newt Gingrich Crashed and Burned When He Was House Speaker | Howard Kurtz, Lois Romano | December 27, 2011 | THE DAILY BEAST
It was exasperating, it was humiliating but, I am ashamed to admit it today, it was also somewhat flattering.
My failure to accomplish the desired result is grievously exasperating, and I feel deeply humiliated.
Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist | Alexander BerkmanSeveral circumstances at this time combined to make this escape peculiarly exasperating to the Confederates.
My pampered pet is an exasperating little sneak that cannot be trusted for a minute.
The Red Cow and Her Friends | Peter McArthurThey kept trotting about in circles, and avoided the warriors with a persistency that must have been exasperating to them.
The Young Ranchers | Edward S. EllisWhat a tremendous jar that would give Bland's exasperating complacency.
The Hidden Places | Bertrand W. Sinclair
British Dictionary definitions for exasperate
/ (ɪɡˈzɑːspəˌreɪt) /
to cause great irritation or anger to; infuriate
to cause (an unpleasant feeling, condition, etc) to worsen; aggravate
botany having a rough prickly surface because of the presence of hard projecting points
Origin of exasperate
1Derived forms of exasperate
- exasperatedly, adverb
- exasperater, noun
- exasperating, adjective
- exasperatingly, adverb
- exasperation, noun
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
Browse