7 results for: aggravate

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

ag·gra·vate

Audio Help [ag-ruh-veyt] Pronunciation Key

–verb (used with object), -vat·ed, -vat·ing.

1.	to make worse or more severe; intensify, as anything evil, disorderly, or troublesome: to aggravate a grievance; to aggravate an illness.

2.	to annoy; irritate; exasperate: His questions aggravate her.

3.	to cause to become irritated or inflamed: The child's constant scratching aggravated the rash.

[Origin: 1425–75; late ME < L aggravātus (ptp. of aggravāre), equiv. to ag- ag- + grav- (see grave²) + -ātus -ate¹; cf. aggrieve

]

—Related forms

ag·gra·va·tive, adjective

ag·gra·va·tor, noun

—Synonyms 1. heighten, increase. Aggravate, intensify both mean to increase in degree. To aggravate is to make more serious or more grave: to aggravate a danger, an offense, a wound. To intensify is perceptibly to increase intensity, force, energy, vividness, etc.: to intensify heat, color, rage. 2. anger, vex, rile.

—Antonyms 1. alleviate.

—Usage note The two most common senses of aggravate are “to make worse” and “to annoy or exasperate.” Both senses first appeared in the early 17th century at almost the same time; the corresponding two senses of the noun aggravation also appeared then. Both senses of aggravate and aggravation have been standard since then. The use of aggravate to mean “annoy” is sometimes objected to because it departs from the etymological meaning “to make heavier,” and in formal speech and writing the sense “annoy” is somewhat less frequent than “to make worse.” The noun aggravation meaning “annoyance” occurs in all types of speech and writing.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

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aggravate

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

ag·gra·vate Audio Help (āg'rə-vāt') Pronunciation Key
tr.v. ag·gra·vat·ed, ag·gra·vat·ing, ag·gra·vates

To make worse or more troublesome.
To rouse to exasperation or anger; provoke. See Synonyms at annoy.

[Latin aggravāre, aggravāt- : ad-, ad- + gravāre, to burden (from gravis, heavy; see g^werə-¹ in Indo-European roots).]

ag'gra·vat'ing·ly adv., ag'gra·va'tive adj., ag'gra·va'tor n.

Usage Note: Aggravate comes from the Latin verb aggravāre, which meant "to make heavier," that is, "to add to the weight of." It also had the extended senses "to annoy" and "to oppress." Some people claim that aggravate can only mean "to make worse," and not "to irritate," on the basis of the word's etymology. But in doing so, they ignore not only an English sense in use since the 17th century, but also one of the original Latin ones. Sixty-eight percent of the Usage Panel approves of its use in It's the endless wait for luggage that aggravates me the most about air travel.

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

aggravate
verb
1.	make worse; "This drug aggravates the pain" [syn: worsen] [ant: ameliorate]
2.	exasperate or irritate [syn: exacerbate]

Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary (Beta Version) - Cite This Source - Share This
aggravate1 [ˈӕgrəveit] verb

to make worse
Example: His bad temper aggravated the situation.

Arabic:	يَزِيد المَوْقِف سُوء أو خُطُورَة
Chinese (Simplified):	使恶化
Chinese (Traditional):	使惡化
Czech:	zhoršit
Danish:	forværre
Dutch:	verergeren
Estonian:	halvendama
Finnish:	pahentaa
French:	aggraver
German:	verschlimmern
Greek:	επιδεινώνω
Hungarian:	súlyosbít
Icelandic:	gera verra
Indonesian:	memperburuk
Italian:	aggravare

Japanese:	悪化させる
Korean:	악화시키다
Latvian:	pasliktināt
Lithuanian:	(pa)bloginti
Norwegian:	forverre
Polish:	pogarszać
Portuguese (Brazil):	agravar
Portuguese (Portugal):	agravar
Romanian:	a agrava
Russian:	ухудшать
Slovak:	zhoršiť
Slovenian:	poslabšati
Spanish:	agravar
Swedish:	försvåra, förvärra
Turkish:	kötüleştirmek, ağırlaştırmak

aggravate2 [ˈӕgrəveit] verb

to make (someone) angry or impatient
Example: She was aggravated by the constant questions.

Arabic:	يُغِيظ، يُثِير سَخْطَاً
Chinese (Simplified):	激怒
Chinese (Traditional):	激怒
Czech:	rozzlobit, rozčílit
Danish:	irritere; ærgre
Dutch:	ergeren
Estonian:	ärritama
Finnish:	ärsyttää
French:	exaspérer
German:	verärgern
Greek:	εκνευρίζω κπ.
Hungarian:	dühbe hoz
Icelandic:	ergja
Indonesian:	kesal, menjengkelkan
Italian:	esasperare, irritare

Japanese:	怒らせる
Korean:	화나게 하다
Latvian:	sakaitināt; saniknot
Lithuanian:	(su)pykinti
Norwegian:	irritere
Polish:	denerwować, gniewać
Portuguese (Brazil):	irritar
Portuguese (Portugal):	irritar
Romanian:	a exaspera
Russian:	раздражать, изводить
Slovak:	rozčúliť
Slovenian:	ogorčiti
Spanish:	irritar
Swedish:	förarga
Turkish:	kızdırmak

Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law - Cite This Source - Share This

Main Entry: ag·gra·vate
Pronunciation: 'a-gr&-"vAt
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Forms: -vat·ed; -vat·ing
: to make more serious, more severe, or worse <maliciousness aggravated the offense> <aggravated her preexisting condition> <aggravating factors> —compare MITIGATE —ag·gra·va·tion /"a-gr&-'vA-sh&n/ noun

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