| 释义 |
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2024ag•gra•vate /ˈægrəˌveɪt/USA pronunciation v. [~ + object], -vat•ed, -vat•ing. - to make worse or more severe; intensify:remarks that only aggravated an already tense situation.
- to annoy;
irritate;
exasperate:The constant noise aggravated the readers.
ag•gra•va•tion /ˌægrəˈveɪʃən/USA pronunciation n. [uncountable* countable] Informally, the verb[aggravate]is used in both senses. However, the sense "to annoy'' is sometimes objected to, and is used less often than the sense "to make worse'' in formal speech and writing. WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2024ag•gra•vate (ag′rə vāt′),USA pronunciation v.t., -vat•ed, -vat•ing. - to make worse or more severe;
intensify, as anything evil, disorderly, or troublesome:to aggravate a grievance; to aggravate an illness. - to annoy;
irritate;
exasperate:His questions aggravate her. - to cause to become irritated or inflamed:The child's constant scratching aggravated the rash.
- Latin aggravātus (past participle of aggravāre), equivalent. to ag- ag- + grav- (see grave2) + -ātus -ate1; compare aggrieve
- late Middle English 1425–75
- 1.See corresponding entry in Unabridged heighten, increase. Aggravate, intensify both mean to increase in degree. To aggravate is to make more serious or more grave:to aggravate a danger, an offense, a wound.To intensify is perceptibly to increase intensity, force, energy, vividness, etc.:to intensify heat, color, rage.
- 2.See corresponding entry in Unabridged anger, vex, rile.
- 1.See corresponding entry in Unabridged alleviate.
The two most common senses of aggravate are "to make worse'' and "to annoy or exasperate.'' Both senses first appeared in the early 17th century at almost the same time; the corresponding two senses of the noun aggravation also appeared then. Both senses of aggravate and aggravation have been standard since then. The use of aggravate to mean "annoy'' is sometimes objected to because it departs from the etymological meaning "to make heavier,'' and in formal speech and writing the sense "annoy'' is somewhat less frequent than "to make worse.'' The noun aggravation meaning "annoyance'' occurs in all types of speech and writing. Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers:: aggravate /ˈæɡrəˌveɪt/ vb (transitive)- to make (a disease, situation, problem, etc) worse or more severe
- informal to annoy; exasperate, esp by deliberate and persistent goading
Etymology: 16th Century: from Latin aggravāre to make heavier, from gravis heavyˈaggraˌvating adj ˌaggraˈvation n |