exasperation

American  

[ig-zas-puh-rey-shuhn] / ɪgˌzæs pəˈreɪ ʃən /

noun

1. an act or instance of exasperating; provocation.

2. the state of being exasperated; irritation; extreme annoyance.

   Her exasperation at being interrupted was understandable.

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Etymology

Origin of exasperation

First recorded in 1540–50; from Latin exasperātiōn-, stem of exasperātiō “roughness, bitterness”; equivalent to exasperate + -ion

Explanation

If you've ever become so frustrated with someone or something that you feel like you're at the end of your rope, you have experienced exasperation. You are fed up! Exasperation goes back to the Latin verb exasperare, meaning “to make rough.” When you are in a state of exasperation, you feel like something annoying you've had to put up with has put you in a rough mood. If you take up golf, you might find it to be a source of relaxation or a source of exasperation. Watching you try to teach your dog to fetch, I'm not sure which is more amusing: his stubbornness or your exasperation.

Example Sentences

The exasperation young people feel at older folks, with our fat bank accounts struggling to program our televisions or upload videos, is understandable.

From Barron's • Mar. 14, 2026

But after allowing myself a moment of exasperation with the woman on the television, I turned to the lessons of history.

From Salon • Feb. 1, 2026

"We keep telling everyone. No one does anything," says Mr Cook, in exasperation.

From BBC • Dec. 10, 2025

“Cabrón,” he calls me, “you are Mexican and we’ve been here speaking in English all this time,” he says in Spanish with a hint of playful exasperation.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 3, 2025

As one young man with a felony conviction explained in exasperation, “I asked for an application for Section 8. They asked me if I had a felony. I said, ‘yes.’...

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander

Related Words

• anger
• annoyance
• displeasure
• fury
• ire
• irritation
• pique
• rage
• resentment