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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

aggravate en · ADJ

Pronunciation

  • /ˈæɡɹəvət/

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. By surface analysis, ag- + grave (“heavy”) + -ate (“verb suffix”).

Meanings

  1. (as a participle, obsolete) Aggravated.
  2. (obsolete) Loaded, burdened, weighed down.
  3. (in a bad sense, obsolete) Heightened, intensified.
  4. (obsolete) Under ecclesiastical censure, excommunicated.

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
most aggravate Degree=Sup lexicographic
more aggravate Degree=Cmp lexicographic

wikipedia: Early Modern English · wikipedia: Middle English

aggravate en · VERB

Pronunciation

  • /ˈæɡ.ɹə.veɪ̯t/
  • (UK) audio

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. By surface analysis, ag- + grave (“heavy”) + -ate (“verb suffix”).

Meanings

  1. To make (an offence) worse or more severe; to increase in offensiveness or heinousness.
    • Once more, the more to aggrauate the note, With a foule Traitors name ſtuffe I thy throte, And wiſh (ſo pleaſe my Soueraigne) ere I moue, What my tong ſpeaks, my right drawn ſword may proue 1595 December 9 (first known performance), William Shakespeare, “The Life and Death of King Richard the Second”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene i], page 23, column 2:
    • The defense made by the prisoner's counsel did rather aggravate than extenuate his crime. 1709, Joseph Addison, The Tatler:
  2. (broadly) To make (any bad thing) worse.
    • […] to aggravate the horrors of the scene 1837, William H. Prescott, History of the Reign of Ferdinand and Isabella the Catholic:
    • to aggravate my woes. 1726, Homer, “Book XVI”, in [William Broome], transl., The Odyssey of Homer. […], volume IV, London: […] Bernard Lintot, →OCLC:
  3. (archaic) To give extra weight or intensity to; to exaggerate, to magnify.
    • He aggravated the story.
  4. (obsolete) To pile or heap (something heavy or onerous) on or upon someone.
    • In order to lighten the crown still further, they aggravated responsibility on ministers of state. 1790, Edmund Burke, Reflections on the Revolution in France, Oxford, published 2009, page 28:
  5. (colloquial, often, proscribed) To exasperate; to provoke or irritate.
    • If both were to aggravate her parents, as my brother and sister do mine. 1748, [Samuel Richardson], Clarissa. Or, The History of a Young Lady: […], volume (please specify |volume=I to VII), London: […] S[amuel] Richardson; [a]nd sold by John Osborn, […], →OCLC:
    • Ben Bella was aggravated by having to express himself in French because the Egyptians were unable to understand his Arabic. 1977, Alistair Horne, A Savage War of Peace, New York: Review Books, published 2006, page 85:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
aggravated Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
aggravated Tense=Past lexicographic
aggravates Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres lexicographic
aggravating Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part lexicographic

Antonyms

pour oil on troubled waters · alleviate · repair · restore · improve · mitigate · mitigate · ameliorate · alleviate

Deriveds

aggravator · aggravatable · aggravative · aggro · overaggravate · reaggravate

Hypernyms

diminish · alter

Relateds

aggravation · worsen · make matters worse

Synonyms

infect · rub it in · mommick · irritate · acerbate · boil someone's piss · irk · get on someone's nerves · rile up · stain · punch down · rub up the wrong way · get someone's nanny-goat · aggravate · persecute · jazz · burn someone's ass · twist the knife · get on someone's tits · intensify · adulterate · tick off · raise someone's hackles · bother · grotch · accelerate · get someone's back up · corrupt · pee off · frustrate · sophisticate · canker · debase · uplift · trouble · chap someone's hide · vex · vitiate · swell · tee off · dogpile · exasperate · hit someone when they are down · add insult to injury · burn up · cap it all off · kick a dog when it's down · get someone's Irish up · downgrade · degrade · accrue · sting · get someone's goat · kick someone when they are down · impair · bedevil · torque off · Idioms: · ruffle someone's feathers · alloy · aggrandize · peeve · exacerbate · pile on · increase · rub someone the wrong way · wind up · put the boot in · annoy · greaten · nark · heighten · twist the knife · irritate · ruffle · With malice · grow · add insult to injury · pejorate · nettle · heap on · fan the flames · provoke · exasperate · harsh one's mellow · strike someone when they are down · get someone's nanny · exasperate · get under one's goat · give someone the shits · botherate · peeve off · contaminate · storm · augment · devil · throw gasoline on the fire · wax · enlarge · embiggen · aggravate · deflower · enhance · antagonize · piss off · defile · grate · set back · disgruntle · add fuel to the fire · wind up · pique · get · heighten · increase · rankle · cheese off · try one's patience · rub salt in the wound · get someone's dander up · envenom · grind one's gears · exacerbate · nerve · get under someone's skin · test someone's patience · hack off · magnify · leaven · weaken · provoke · rile · put someone's back up · roil · bug · debauch · get on someone's wick · get up · deteriorate · make matters worse · hassle · molest

Translations (59)

la aggravō (To make worse, or more severe) · ml വഷളാക്കുക (To make worse, or more severe) · uk загострювати (To make worse, or more severe) · ca agreujar (To make worse, or more severe) · bg ядосвам (To exasperate; to provoke; to irritate) · pt abusar (To exasperate; to provoke; to irritate) · cs zostřit (To make worse, or more severe) · cmn 激怒 (To exasperate; to provoke; to irritate) · cs přibarvit (To give coloring to in description; to exaggerate; as, to aggravate circumstances) · nn forverre (To make worse, or more severe) · cs ztížit (To make worse, or more severe) · uk обтяжувати (To give coloring to in description; to exaggerate; as, to aggravate circumstances) · ru усложня́ть (To give coloring to in description; to exaggerate; as, to aggravate circumstances) · fi suututtaa (To exasperate; to provoke; to irritate) · es empeorar (To make worse, or more severe) · oc agravar (To make worse, or more severe) · ml ഊതിപ്പെരുപ്പിക്കുക (To give coloring to in description; to exaggerate; as, to aggravate circumstances) · fr aggraver (To make worse, or more severe) · cs štvát (To exasperate; to provoke; to irritate) · ru обостря́ть (To make worse, or more severe) · ru раздража́ть (To exasperate; to provoke; to irritate) · de verbittern (To exasperate; to provoke; to irritate) · ru ухудшать (To make worse, or more severe) · pt agravar (To make worse, or more severe) · bg утежнявам (To make worse, or more severe) · es irritar (To exasperate; to provoke; to irritate) · ru отягощать (To make worse, or more severe) · ja いらいらさせる (To exasperate; to provoke; to irritate) · ru обостри́ть (To make worse, or more severe) · de ärgern (To exasperate; to provoke; to irritate) · ca irritar (To exasperate; to provoke; to irritate) · ru усугуби́ть (To make worse, or more severe) · da forværre (To make worse, or more severe) · es exasperar (To exasperate; to provoke; to irritate) · uk погіршувати (To make worse, or more severe) · nl ergeren (To exasperate; to provoke; to irritate) · es sublevar (To exasperate; to provoke; to irritate) · cs rozčilovat (To exasperate; to provoke; to irritate) · de verschlimmern (To make worse, or more severe) · fi ärsyttää (To exasperate; to provoke; to irritate) · nb forverre (To make worse, or more severe) · cs rozčílit (To exasperate; to provoke; to irritate) · cmn 惹火 (To exasperate; to provoke; to irritate) · hu súlyosbít (To make worse, or more severe) · cs zhoršit (To make worse, or more severe) · da f (To make worse, or more severe) · bg влошавам (To make worse, or more severe) · de erschweren (To make worse, or more severe) · eo agaci (To exasperate; to provoke; to irritate) · fi pahentaa (To make worse, or more severe) · ml അലോസരപ്പെടുത്തുക (To exasperate; to provoke; to irritate) · ja 怒らせる (To exasperate; to provoke; to irritate) · uk ускладнювати (To give coloring to in description; to exaggerate; as, to aggravate circumstances) · uk дратувати (To exasperate; to provoke; to irritate) · nl verergeren (To make worse, or more severe) · da fremprovokere (To exasperate; to provoke; to irritate) · pt provocar (To exasperate; to provoke; to irritate) · ru усугубля́ть (To make worse, or more severe) · es agravar (To make worse, or more severe)

wikipedia: Early Modern English · wikipedia: Middle English