exasperate
Americanverb (used with object)
adjective
verb
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to cause great irritation or anger to; infuriate
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to cause (an unpleasant feeling, condition, etc) to worsen; aggravate
adjective
Synonym Usage
See irritate.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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exasperatinglyadverb
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exasperatedlyadverb
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exasperaternoun
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exasperatingadjective
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unexasperatingadjective
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exasperationnoun
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has exasperatedperfect 3rd person singular
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have exasperatedperfect
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am exasperatingprogressive 1st person singular
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has been exasperatingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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exasperatingparticiple
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have been exasperatingperfect progressive
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exasperatessingular 3rd person
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are exasperatingprogressive
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is exasperatingprogressive 3rd person singular
Past
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had exasperatedperfect
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exasperatedparticiple
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had been exasperatingperfect progressive
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were exasperatingprogressive plural
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was exasperatingprogressive singular
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exasperatedsimple
Future
Etymology
Origin of exasperate
First recorded in 1525–35; from Latin exasperātus (past participle of exasperāre “to make rough, provoke”), equivalent to ex- ex- 1 + asper “harsh, rough” + -ātus -ate 1
Compare meaning
How does exasperate compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
To exasperate someone is to annoy him or her to the point of impatience, frustration and irritation, like when you exasperate a busy waiter by asking questions like "what are all the ingredients in the salad dressing?" and making him repeat the specials five times. The verb exasperate comes from the Latin word exasperatus, which means “to roughen,” “irritate,” or “provoke.” To exasperate is to make something that is already bad even worse, like when sitting in traffic that is sure to make you late, you exasperate the person who is driving by bringing up an unpleasant topic, or the addition of twenty more students that exasperates the crowding in the cafeteria.
Vocabulary lists containing exasperate
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The Tragedy of Macbeth
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He could exasperate editors with his strongly held opinions and his prodigal ways with an expense account.
From New York Times • Jun. 6, 2024
Panjabi portrays Reena’s mother, Suman, a reserved but resolute woman and member of the Jehovah’s Witness faith who runs a home with rules that exasperate her eldest child.
From Los Angeles Times • May 29, 2024
The issues exasperate many of the remaining businesses.
From Seattle Times • Jan. 23, 2024
However, quite how the hosts did not manage to win will mystify and exasperate the new man at the helm.
From BBC • Oct. 18, 2022
Such a circumstance could only exasperate farther, and, when he ceased, the colour rose into her cheeks, and she said:
From "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
