exasperate
ig-ZAS-puh-rayt
/ɪɡˈzæs.pə.reɪt/
To irritate intensely; provoke to anger or annoyance.
Involves patience being completely exhausted by repeated annoyances or obstinate behavior.
The story behind the word. Rooted in Latin 'ex-' (thoroughly) and 'asper' (rough), exasperate literally means 'to make thoroughly rough'. When applied to human emotion, it refers to rubbing someone's temper raw through constant friction.
Word relationships
- infuriate: Infuriate triggers explosive rage; exasperate tires out someone's patience until they react angrily.
- soothe: Soothe means to calm or make peaceful.
- placate: Placate means to make someone less angry by granting concessions.
Commonly confused with
- exacerbate: Exacerbate means to make a problem or disease worse; exasperate means to frustrate or annoy a person.
Word family
- exasperation (noun): A feeling of intense irritation or annoyance.
- exasperated (adjective): Intensely irritated and frustrated.
Collocations
- thoroughly exasperate
- tendency to exasperate
- exasperate the public
Idioms & expressions
- at the end of one's rope
- drive up the wall
Example sentences
- "Repeated computer glitches began to exasperate the software development team." Professional frustration
- "Her child's refusal to put on shoes served only to exasperate her further on a busy morning." Parental context
Memory hook
EXASPERATE: EX + ASPER (rough). Making your nerves rough until you snap. Roughing up your patience.
When not to use
Avoid using for sudden, violent rage; exasperation is a slow wear-down of patience.
Fun facts
- The root 'asper' also appears in the English word 'asperity', meaning harshness of tone or weather.
Explore more words
exacerbate, goad, aggravate, Obstinate, provocative, excoriate
Also appears in
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