Aggravate

/ˈæɡ.ɹə.veɪ̯t/ · verb

Meaning

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

Definitions by Sense

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

Example Sentences

Once more, the more to aggrauate the note, With a foule Traitors name ſtuffe I thy throte, And wiſh (ſo pleaſe my Soueraigne) ere I moue, What my tong ſpeaks, my right drawn ſword may proue

The defense made by the prisoner's counsel did rather aggravate than extenuate his crime.

to aggravate my woes.

[…] to aggravate the horrors of the scene

He aggravated the story.

In order to lighten the crown still further, they aggravated responsibility on ministers of state.

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

Ben Bella was aggravated by having to express himself in French because the Egyptians were unable to understand his Arabic.

Synonyms for aggravate

Antonyms for aggravate

Related Words

Word Forms

• aggravates
• aggravating
• aggravated
• more aggravate
• most aggravate

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

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