aggravate[verb]Synonyms:- make worse, exacerbate, exaggerate, increase, inflame, intensify, magnify, worsen
- annoy, bother, get on one's nerves
(informal), irritate, nettle, provoke
Antonyms: alleviate, appease
Contrasted words: extenuate, palliate, calm, tranquilize
Related Words: augment,
enlarge,
increase,
multiply,
aggrandize,
disturb,
perturb,
upset,
annoy,
bedevil [TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲
ag‧gra‧vate /ˈæɡrəveɪt/
verb [transitive][
Date: 1500-1600;
Language: Latin;
Origin: past participle of aggravare 'to make heavier', from ad- 'to' + gravare 'to make heavy']
1. to make a bad situation, an illness, or an injury worse
Antonym : improve:
Their money problems were further aggravated by a rise in interest rates. Building the new road will only aggravate the situation.2. to make someone angry or annoyed
Synonym : irritate:
What really aggravates me is the way she won’t listen.—aggravating adjective—aggravatingly adverb—aggravation /ˌæɡrəˈveɪʃ
ən/
noun [uncountable and countable] [TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲