aggravate: Meaning and Definition of

ag•gra•vate

Pronunciation: (ag'ru-vāt"), [key]
— -vat•ed, -vat•ing.
  1. to make worse or more severe; intensify, as anything evil, disorderly, or troublesome: to aggravate a grievance; to aggravate an illness.
  2. to annoy; irritate; exasperate: His questions aggravate her.
  3. to cause to become irritated or inflamed: The child's constant scratching aggravated the rash.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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