ag|gra|vate

ag|gra|vate «AG ruh vayt», transitive verb, -vat|ed, -vat|ing.

1. a) to make worse or more severe: »

His bad temper was aggravated by a headache.

SYNONYM(S): increase, augment, intensify, exacerbate. b) to make more burdensome or more offensive: »

A lie will only aggravate your guilt.

SYNONYM(S): increase, augment, intensify, exacerbate.

2. Informal. to annoy; irritate; exasperate: »

He aggravated his sister by pulling her hair. The whispering in class aggravates our teacher.

SYNONYM(S): provoke.

3. Obsolete. to add weight to.

╂[< Latin aggravāre (with English -ate¹) to make heavier < ad- on + gravis heavy. See etym. of doublet aggrieve. (Cf. ↑aggrieve)]

–ag´gra|vat´ing|ly, adverb.

–ag´gra|va´tor, noun.

Usage Aggravate as a synonym of annoy, exasperate, irritate, provoke, is sometimes condemned by prescriptive grammarians, but is established in informal use and found in the works of standard writers: »

Threats only served to aggravate people in such cases (Thackeray).