Adjacent Words

Exasperate definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

EX`ASPERATE, v.t. [L. exaspero, to irritate; ex and aspero, from asper, rough, harsh.]
1. To anger; to irritate to a high degree; to provoke to rage; to enrage; to excite anger, or to inflame it to an extreme degree. We say, to exasperate a person, or to exasperate the passion of anger or resentment.
2. To aggravate; to embitter; as, to exasperate enmity.
3. To augment violence; to increase malignity; to exacerbate; as, to exasperate pain or a part inflamed.
EX`ASPERATE, a. Provoked; embittered; inflamed.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: exasperate or irritate [syn: exacerbate, exasperate, aggravate]
2: make furious [syn: infuriate, exasperate, incense]
3: make worse; "This drug aggravates the pain" [syn: worsen, aggravate, exacerbate, exasperate] [ant: ameliorate, amend, better, improve, meliorate]

Merriam Webster's

I. transitive verb (-ated; -ating) Etymology: Latin exasperatus, past participle of exasperare, from ex- + asper rough — more at asperity Date: 1534 1. a. to excite the anger of ; enrage b. to cause irritation or annoyance to 2. obsolete to make more grievous ; aggravate Synonyms: see irritate • exasperatedly adverb • exasperatingly adverb II. adjective Date: 1541 1. irritated or annoyed especially to the point of injudicious action ; exasperated 2. roughened with irregular prickles or elevations <exasperate seed coats>

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v.tr. 1 (often as exasperated adj. or exasperating adj.) irritate intensely. 2 make (a pain, ill feeling, etc.) worse. Derivatives: exasperatedly adv. exasperatingly adv. exasperation n. Etymology: L exasperare exasperat- (as EX-(1), asper rough)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Exasperate Ex*as"per*ate, a. [L. exasperatus, p. p. of exsasperare to roughen, exasperate; ex out (intens.) + asperare to make rough, asper rough. See Asperity.] Exasperated; imbittered. [Obs.] --Shak. Like swallows which the exasperate dying year Sets spinning. --Mrs. Browning.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Exasperate Ex*as"per*ate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Exsasperated; p. pr. & vb. n. Exasperating.] 1. To irritate in a high degree; to provoke; to enrage; to exscite or to inflame the anger of; as, to exasperate a person or his feelings. To exsasperate them against the king of France. --Addison. 2. To make grievous, or more grievous or malignant; to aggravate; to imbitter; as, to exasperate enmity. To exasperate the ways of death. --Sir T. Browne. Syn: To irritate; provoke. See Irritate.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(exasperates, exasperating, exasperated) If someone or something exasperates you, they annoy you and make you feel frustrated or upset. The sheer futility of it all exasperates her. VERB: V n • exasperation Mahoney clenched his fist in exasperation...

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

v. a. 1. Irritate, provoke, chafe, vex, nettle, incense, anger, affront, offend, enrage, make angry, aggravate. 2. Exacerbate, aggravate, inflame, render more violent.

Moby Thesaurus

TB, aggravate, agitate, annoy, arouse, badger, bait, be at, bedevil, beset, bother, bristle, brown off, bug, bullyrag, burn up, chafe, chivy, consumption, devil, discompose, distemper, disturb, dog, embitter, exercise, fash, fret, gall, get, gripe, harass, harry, heckle, hector, hound, huff, incense, inflame, irk, irritate, miff, molest, nag, needle, nettle, nudzh, peeve, persecute, pester, pick on, pique, plague, pluck the beard, pother, provoke, rankle, ride, rile, roil, ruffle, set up, stir the blood, stir up, tease, torment, trouble, try the patience, tweak the nose, vex, work up, worry