What does aggravate mean?
Aggravate is a verb meaning to make a bad situation, condition, or problem worse or more serious. Doctors might warn that certain movements will aggravate an injury, or commentators might argue that a policy will aggravate an economic downturn. In everyday informal use, especially in British English, the word has also long carried a second sense: to irritate or annoy someone, as in 'he aggravates me'. This looser usage is firmly established colloquially, though formal writing tends to reserve the verb for its original meaning of worsening something. Aggravate derives from Latin aggravare, formed from ad- ('towards') and gravis ('heavy'), so at root it literally meant 'to make heavier' — a fitting origin for a word about adding weight to trouble. Its negative connotations make it useful for describing escalation, whether of physical ailments, social tensions, or personal frustrations.
verbTo make a problem, injury, or unpleasant situation worse or more serious; to intensify. In informal usage, especially in British English, it also means to irritate or annoy someone.
- To make a problem, illness, injury, or difficult situation worse or more severe.
- (Informal) To irritate or annoy someone.
"Scratching the rash will only aggravate the irritation."
"Skipping physiotherapy sessions can aggravate a knee injury."
"His constant complaining began to aggravate everyone in the office."
'Aggravate' originally meant 'to make heavier' — from Latin gravis, the same root that gives us gravity.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of aggravate
Aggravate comes from Latin aggravare, meaning 'to make heavier', from ad- ('towards') plus gravis ('heavy'), the same root behind English words such as gravity, grave, and grievous. It entered English in the early 17th century, initially used in legal contexts to describe circumstances that made an offence or charge more serious. Over time its use broadened to any worsening of a condition or situation, and by the 19th century the informal sense of 'to annoy' had developed, first noted in American usage before spreading to Britain.
Related word forms
How aggravate is actually used
The 'annoy' sense is long established but traditionally criticized as non-standard; it is widely accepted in informal speech, particularly in Britain, while formal writing generally reserves 'aggravate' for making things worse. The word carries a negative connotation throughout.
Easily confused with aggravate
Irritate means to annoy or inflame something mildly, while aggravate means to make an existing bad situation worse — though 'aggravate' is informally used to mean 'annoy', careful writers keep them distinct.
Exacerbate is a near-synonym meaning to make worse, but it is more formal and applies only to situations and conditions, never to people's tempers.