Aggravate

Quick meaning: Aggravate is a verb meaning To make (an offence) worse or more severe; to increase in offensiveness or heinousness.

Meaning

To make (an offence) worse or more severe; to increase in offensiveness or heinousness.

More Meanings

1. (by extension) To make (any bad thing) worse.
2. (now rare) To give extra weight or intensity to; to exaggerate, to magnify.
3. (now chiefly colloquial; often proscribed; see usage notes) To exasperate; to provoke or irritate.
4. (as a participle) Aggravated.
5. Loaded, burdened, weighed down.
6. (in a bad sense) Heightened, intensified.
7. (obsolete) To pile or heap (something heavy or onerous) on or upon someone.

Example Sentences

to aggravate my woes.

He aggravated the story.

[…] to aggravate the horrors of the scene

If both were to aggravate her parents, as my brother and sister do mine.

Word Forms

• aggravates
• aggravating
• aggravated

Synonyms for aggravate

Depending on context, synonyms include adulterate, alloy, canker, contaminate, corrupt, debase.

Antonyms for aggravate

Common opposites include ameliorate, improve, mitigate, repair, restore, alleviate.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include exacerbate, exasperate, worsen, offend, provoke, rile.

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