1
as in annoys
to disturb the peace of mind of (someone) especially by repeated disagreeable acts
it really aggravates me when I arrive 10 minutes before the stated closing time, and the store's closed already
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in deepens
to make more severe
overheated rhetoric that only aggravated an already tense situation
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of aggravates
Nathan tells him to get in the water in order to fix the hooks and ropes, but Max stands on the Jet Ski instead, which aggravates the bosun.
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Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 6 Jan. 2026
Money could be at the heart of the power struggle when Mars aggravates Pluto.
—Usa Today, USA Today, 24 Sep. 2025
The minuscule particles can lead to breathing problems like bronchitis and cause inflammation that aggravates diabetes, heart disease and other health conditions.
—Mary Gilbert, CNN Money, 5 Aug. 2025
Climate change exacerbates chronic and contagious disease, worsens food and water shortages, increases the risk of pandemics, and aggravates mass displacement.
—Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Foreign Affairs, 23 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for aggravates
Verb
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One of its two young sibling protagonists, Amber (Bianca Belle), channels her feelings about the recent death of her mother into drawings of creatures born out of her troubled imagination, some of whom enact violence against the classmate who annoys her.—
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There's just one thing about Claire Danes that annoys Matthew Rhys.—
Verb
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Continue reading … FOOD FIGHT – McRib mystery deepens as McDonald's is sued over what's really inside.—
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However, shares could surge as Uber deepens its foray into AV technology, offering an opportunity to improve its margins.—
Verb
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Feeney’s book features multiple narrators, but relativity is not an idea the series bothers to develop.—
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Now, wages have grown, but inflation bothers people.—
Verb
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Other data, however, complicates the picture.—
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Sentimental Value, an emotionally layered film up for eight Golden Globes this weekend, complicates that perspective.—
Verb
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In other words, alcohol disrupts hydration, irritates the gut, inflames blood vessels, messes with sleep, and forces your liver into metabolic overdrive.—
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Without this process, the air would be colder and drier, which irritates and constricts the airways and can lead to inflammation.—
Verb
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And freezing or cutting taxes only exacerbates the situation.—
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Unlike cobalt’s detrimental role in PC-NMC, researchers find that cobalt is critical for enhancing the longevity of SC-NMC by mitigating localized strain along the extended diffusion pathway, whereas manganese exacerbates mechanical degradation.—
Verb
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In Russia, the civilian repressive apparatus persecutes the military, which leaps at every chance for revenge.—
Verb
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Sam slips back into her addiction and as her alcoholism worsens, so do the visions and apparitions that seem to be haunting the forest.—
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As climate change worsens, more locations are going to become too hot for data centers.—
Cite this Entry
“Aggravates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/aggravates. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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