aggravate

Meaning

Verb

1. To make (an offence) worse or more severe; to increase in offensiveness or heinousness.
2. (broadly) To make (any bad thing) worse.
3. (archaic) 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. (colloquial, often, proscribed) To exasperate; to provoke or irritate.

Adj

1. (obsolete) Aggravated.
2. (obsolete) Loaded, burdened, weighed down.
3. (obsolete) Heightened, intensified.
4. (obsolete) Under ecclesiastical censure, excommunicated.

Opposite of

pour oil on troubled waters, alleviate, mitigate

Synonyms

exacerbate

exasperate

worsen

irritate

annoy

provoke

intensify

anger

💢

make worse

complicate

vex

enrage

infuriate

incense

nettle

escalate

inflame

irk

embitter

rile

rankle

enhance

gall

bother

incite

excite

provoke to anger

chafe

upset

make angry

ruffle

stimulate

bug

🐛

heighten

rouse

stir up

obstruct

offend

make difficult

miff

peeve

deteriorate

fret

accelerate

madden

pique

tease

find fault

compound

exacerbation

Translations

aggraver

aggravare

agravar

peggiorare

verschlimmern

empirer

agacer

ergeren

esasperare

empeorar

exaspérer

kızdırmak

erschweren

verschlechtern

irriter

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈæɡ.ɹə.veɪ̯t/

Etymology

The adjective is first attested in 1471 in Middle English, the verb in 1530; from Latin aggravātus, perfect passive participle of aggravō (“to add to the weight of, make worse, oppress, annoy”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from ad- (“to”) + gravō (“to make heavy”), from gravis (“heavy”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix). See grave and compare aggrieve and aggrege. Participial usage of the adjective up until Early Modern English.