/ ˈægrəveɪt; NAmE / verb [ vn ]
1.
to make an illness or a bad or unpleasant situation worse
SYN worsen :
Pollution can aggravate asthma.
Military intervention will only aggravate the conflict even further.
2.
( informal ) to annoy sb, especially deliberately
SYN irritate
► ag·gra·vat·ing adjective
► ag·gra·va·tion / ˌægrəˈveɪʃn; NAmE / noun [ U , C ]:
The drug may cause an aggravation of the condition.
I don't need all this aggravation at work.
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WORD ORIGIN
mid 16th cent.: from Latin aggravat- made heavy, from the verb aggravare , from ad- (expressing increase) + gravis heavy.