aggravate

Universal Words verb [VN] 1 to make an illness or a bad or unpleasant situation worse SYNWORSEN: Pollution can aggravate asthma. * Military intervention will only aggravate the conflict even further. 2 (informal) to annoy sb, especially deliberately SYNIRRITATE aggravating adjective: aggravating circumstances / factors * Her constant interruptions were very aggravating. aggravation noun [U,C]: The drug may cause an aggravation of the condition. * I don't need all this aggravation at work.