aggravate
AG-ruh-vayt
/ˈæɡrəveɪt/
To make a problem, injury, or offense worse or more serious; also, to annoy or exasperate someone.
While commonly used to mean 'annoy', its more formal and precise meaning is 'to make heavy' or 'to worsen'.
The story behind the word. The root 'gravis' gives us 'gravity' and 'grave'. To aggravate something was originally to add weight to it. If you have a burden, and I add more to it, I am 'aggravating' your load.
Word relationships
- exacerbate: Exacerbate is more formal and specifically means to make a bad situation even worse; aggravate can also mean to simply annoy a person.
- alleviate: Alleviate means to make a problem less severe or easier to bear.
Commonly confused with
- aggregate: Aggregate means to collect into a whole; aggravate means to make worse.
Word family
- aggravation (noun): The state of being annoyed or the act of making something worse.
Collocations
- aggravate a condition
- aggravate the situation
- highly aggravating
Example sentences
- "Running on a twisted ankle will only aggravate the injury." Medical advice.
- "His constant whistling began to aggravate his roommates." Describing a social interaction.
Memory hook
Aggravate = Add + Gravity. You are adding weight to a situation. Aggravate: Adding weight to the problem.
When not to use
In formal writing, try to use 'exacerbate' for worsening a situation and 'annoy' for bothering a person, though 'aggravate' is accepted for both in most modern contexts.
Fun facts
- In law, an 'aggravated' crime (like aggravated assault) is one that is made more serious by specific circumstances, such as the use of a weapon.
Related words
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