v.
- make (a problem, illness, etc.) worse.
- informal annoy (someone).
Derivative
- aggravating adj.
- aggravatingly adv.
- aggravation n.
Usage
Aggravate in the sense ‘annoy’ is in widespread use in modern English and dates back to the 17th century, but the use is still regarded as incorrect by some traditionalists.
Etymology
C16 (earlier (C15) as aggravation): from L. aggravat-, aggravare ‘make heavy’.
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