aggravate
verb (used with object)
to make worse or more severe; intensify, as anything evil, disorderly, or troublesome.
had aggravated
-
past perfectof aggravate.past perfect
Used to express a completed action that took place before another specific past action occurred.
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.
Julio, you might recall, had aggravated an injury to his left wrist — on a slide into second base in Texas — only one day before his participation in The Derby last year.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 7, 2023
Coach Tyronn Lue learned Leonard had aggravated the knee Wednesday evening, but said he did not know Leonard would be sidelined until shortly before the team’s shootaround Thursday morning, about 10 hours before tipoff.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 21, 2023
The stress of the occupation had aggravated her high blood pressure.
From New York Times ● Feb. 8, 2023
Last week, he wrote that he had aggravated the injury while sparring before the taekwondo qualifying.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 2, 2020
For nearly one week, the two top experts in the field had aggravated the situation with useless tests.
From "I, Robot" by Isaac Asimov
