aggravating
Making things worse
Aggravating means making worse or more serious: Smoking aggravated his asthma.
More commonly, it means annoying or irritating: an aggravating habit of interrupting.
Purists insist on the first meaning, but the second dominates everyday speech.
Stop being so aggravating!
Causing mild frustration
- exasperatingIntensely irritating
- vexingCausing mild torment
- irksomeCausing mild frustration
- gallingIntensely annoying or humiliating
bothersome · nettlesome · pestering · nagging · maddening · infuriating · troublesome · grating
Making something worse
- compoundingElements merging progressively
- intensifyingIncreasing in strength
- escalatingIncreasing by degrees
- heighteningIncreasing in degree
amplifying · magnifying · deepening · increasing · inflaming · accelerating · furthering · complicating
Urging others to act
- goadingInciting through persistent pressure
- instigatingPrompting action to begin
- antagonizingDeliberately causing hostility
- baitingDeliberately trying to provoke
needling · taunting · inflammatory · riling · rousing · stirring · agitating · enraging
irritating
Causing mild frustration
- exasperatingIntensely irritating
- vexingCausing mild torment
- irksomeCausing mild frustration
galling · bothersome · nettlesome · pestering · nagging · maddening · infuriating · troublesome · grating · jarring
exacerbating
Making something worse
- compoundingElements merging progressively
- intensifyingIncreasing in strength
- escalatingIncreasing by degrees
heightening · amplifying · magnifying · deepening · increasing · inflaming · accelerating · furthering · complicating · deteriorating
inciting
Urging others to act
- goadingInciting through persistent pressure
- instigatingPrompting action to begin
- antagonizingDeliberately causing hostility
baiting · needling · taunting · inflammatory · riling · rousing · stirring · agitating · enraging · inflaming
- annoying behaviorsnagging, pestering, bothering, irritating, whining
- irritatingannoying, bothersome, exasperating, frustrating, galling
- exhaustingdraining, taxing, tiring, exhausting, fatiguing
- offendinginsulting, offending, disrespecting, affronting, slighting
aggravatingsoothing
Reducing distress or discomfort
pleasing · calming · comforting · delightful · pleasant
aggravatingalleviating
Making less severe
mitigating · moderating · ameliorating · relieving · easing
- aggravating factorsConditions worsening an offense
- aggravating circumstancesConditions warranting harsher punishment