aggravate: Meaning and Definition of
ag•gra•vate
Pronunciation: (ag'ru-vāt"), [key]
— -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.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.