ˈagrə̇ˌvāt, ˈaig-, usu -ād.+V transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Latin aggravatus, past participle of aggravare to make heavier, from ad- + gravare to burden, from gravis heavy — more at grieve
1. obsolete
a. : to make heavy : weigh down : burden
a great grief aggravateth the heart that suffers it — Bartholomew Young
b. : to add weight to : increase , magnify
then, soul, live thou upon thy servant's loss and let that pine to aggravate thy store — Shakespeare
2. archaic : to give an exaggerated representation of : exaggerate
I have not … aggravated your sense or words — Andrew Marvell
3. : to make worse, more serious, or more severe : intensify
such a defense only aggravated the offense — R.W.Southern
the war … had aggravated the confusions and social disasters of rapid industrial change — J.H.Plumb
4.
a. : to arouse the displeasure, impatience, or anger of : provoke , annoy
nothing so aggravates an earnest person as a passive resistance — Herman Melville
b. : to produce inflammation in : irritate
the operation aggravated the ulnar nerve
Synonyms: see intensify , irritate