aggravateverb [ T ]
uk/ˈæɡ.rə.veɪt/us/ˈæɡ.rə.veɪt/aggravate verb [ T ] (MAKE WORSE)
to make a bad situation worse:
Attempts to restrict parking in the city centre have further aggravated the problem of traffic congestion.
to make a disease worse:
The treatment only aggravated the condition.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Deteriorating and making worse
- a step backwards idiom
- a turn of the screw idiom
- add
- afford
- backslide
- be half the dancer, writer, etc. you used to be idiom
- compound
- decline
- degrade
- dog
- downgrade
- downhill
- exacerbate
- fan the flames idiom
- retrograde
- retrogress
- run yourself down
- seed
- slip
- slippery slope
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aggravate verb [ T ] (ANNOY)
informal to annoy someone:
Stop aggravating me, will you!
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Causing feelings of anger and displeasure
- aggrieve
- alienate
- anger
- annoy
- annoyance
- burn
- go too far idiom
- goat
- grate
- hack
- hack sb off
- harass
- nose
- ruffle sb's feathers idiom
- set sb's teeth on edge idiom
- step/tread on sb's toes idiom
- stick in sb's craw idiom
- stick in sb's throat idiom
- tee
- toe
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