aggravate
verb (used with object)
to make worse or more severe; intensify, as anything evil, disorderly, or troublesome.
has aggravated
-
present perfectof aggravate (3rd person singular).present perfect
Used to describe actions that started in the past and continue into or have direct relevance to the present.
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.
The oil blockade has aggravated the country's worst economic and energy crisis in decades, leading to warnings of a humanitarian disaster.
From Barron's ● May 7, 2026
What has aggravated it, she says, is the legal risk of being deemed unpatriotic.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2024
The tone of Lopez’s talk has aggravated Taylor to the point that a police officer was positioned between them when they posed for pictures at their press conference Thursday.
From Washington Times ● Jun. 9, 2023
The death of an unarmed Mexican man who was shot as he crossed an Arizona ranch has aggravated tensions over cross-border migration.
From New York Times ● Apr. 5, 2023
She wrote: It is her besetting sin, and her trade of novelist has aggravated it—the desire of feeling and producing violent emotions.
From Famous Affinities of History — Volume 4 The Romance of Devotion by Lyndon Orr
