aggravate
AG-ruh-vayt
/ˈæɡ.rə.veɪt/
To make a problem or injury worse; or to annoy someone persistently.
In formal writing, it means to make 'heavy' or worse. In casual speech, it is often used as a synonym for 'irritate'.
The story behind the word. The root 'gravis' (heavy) is the same one we find in 'gravity'. To aggravate something was originally to 'add weight' to it. If you have a problem and you aggravate it, you are making that burden heavier to carry.
Word relationships
- exasperate: Exasperate is a stronger form of annoyance, implying a loss of patience, while aggravate can just be a mild, persistent irritation.
- soothe: Soothe means to reduce pain or calm someone down.
Commonly confused with
- irritate: Irritate is a temporary feeling of annoyance; aggravate implies making a state of annoyance or a physical condition worse over time.
Word family
- aggravation (noun): The state of being annoyed or the act of making something worse.
Collocations
- aggravate a condition
- aggravate an injury
- highly aggravating
Example sentences
- "Lifting heavy boxes will only aggravate your back injury." Physical health
- "It really aggravates me when people talk loudly on their phones in the library." Interpersonal annoyance
Memory hook
Aggravate sounds like 'add gravity'. Adding gravity makes things heavier and harder to deal with. Aggravate: Add weight.
When not to use
In very formal legal or medical writing, ensure you are using it to mean 'worsen' rather than 'annoy'.
Fun facts
- Purists once argued that 'aggravate' should never mean 'to annoy', but this usage has been common since the 17th century.
Related words
Also appears in
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