aggravation

aggravation — noun

1. feelings of irritation, or things that cause those feelings, often when someone

1.nounC1
Definition

feelings of irritation, or things that cause those feelings, often when someone or something keeps bothering you on purpose.

Example

Olu sighed with aggravation when the printer jammed for the third time.

with + aggravation showing emotional reaction

The Lin family moved house to escape the daily aggravation of noisy neighbours upstairs.

aggravation of + noun phrase identifying the cause

Common collocations
  • sigh with aggravation
  • cause aggravation
  • endless aggravation
  • a source of aggravation
Synonyms
  • annoyance

    more neutral and common in everyday speech.

  • irritation

    stresses a sharp, prickly feeling rather than a building one.

  • exasperation

    stronger; suggests patience has run out completely.

  • hassle

    informal; emphasises the inconvenient effort involved.

Antonyms
  • relief

    the easing of stress or annoyance.

  • comfort

    calm and ease rather than agitation.

Grammar Patterns

aggravation of [doing something]

a source of aggravation

Usage Note

Often informal in British English, especially when describing trivial daily nuisances. Frequently appears with possessives or with 'of' + the source of irritation; distinguish from sense 2, which describes worsening rather than emotional irritation.

Common Mistakes

I felt much aggravation to him.
I felt aggravation toward him.
use 'toward/at', not 'to', for the target of irritation.
He shouted in aggravation on his sister.
He shouted in aggravation at his sister.
direct anger 'at' someone, not 'on' them.

2. the process by which an illness, injury, or difficult situation becomes more ser

2.nounC1
Definition

the process by which an illness, injury, or difficult situation becomes more serious or harder to deal with.

Example

Doctors warned that running too soon could lead to aggravation of Saoirse's knee injury.

aggravation of + injury (medical context)

The new sanctions caused a serious aggravation of the country's food shortage.

aggravation of + ongoing situation

Common collocations
  • aggravation of symptoms
  • aggravation of an injury
  • further aggravation
  • lead to aggravation
Synonyms
Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

aggravation of [a problem/condition]

Usage Note

Almost always uncountable and followed by 'of' + the thing being made worse. Common in medical, legal, and policy writing; distinguish from sense 1, which is about emotional irritation rather than physical or situational worsening.

Common Mistakes

The medicine caused aggravation his cough.
The medicine caused aggravation of his cough.
always link with 'of' to what is being worsened.
There were several aggravations of the disease.
There was further aggravation of the disease.
this sense is uncountable, so avoid plural forms.

Word family

  • aggravate
    verbC1
  • aggravating
    adjectiveC1
  • aggravated
    adjectiveC1
  • aggravatingly
    adverbC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All five words describe unpleasant feelings caused by minor problems, but they differ in tone and weight. 'Annoyance' is the neutral, everyday choice, fine in any register. 'Irritation' suggests a sharper, more prickly reaction, often physical-feeling, as in 'a note of irritation in her voice'. 'Aggravation' is heavier and often informal, especially in British English, and frequently points to a repeated or deliberate cause: 'the daily aggravation of his commute'. 'Exasperation' is stronger still, marking the moment patience runs out. 'Hassle' is the most informal, focusing on inconvenient effort rather than emotion: 'parking is such a hassle'. So you might feel mild annoyance at a noisy cafe, growing irritation at a dripping tap, real aggravation from a teasing sibling, exasperation by bedtime, and call the whole day a hassle.

aggravation ↗annoyance ↗irritationexasperationhassle ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • source of aggravation
  • cause of aggravation
  • aggravation of symptoms
  • aggravation of an injury

Adverbs

Phrases

  • sigh with aggravation
  • save someone the aggravation
  • lead to aggravation
  • further aggravation

Prepositions

  • aggravation of
  • aggravation at
  • aggravation for
  • with aggravation

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Comes from Latin 'aggravare', meaning to make heavier, formed from 'ad-' (to, toward) plus 'gravis' (heavy, serious) — the same root that gives English 'grave' and 'gravity'. The word entered English through French in the late 1400s, first used in the literal sense of making a problem or burden heavier. The looser meaning of personal annoyance grew up centuries later in everyday speech and is now common, though some careful writers still treat it as informal.