exasperate

1 of 2

verb

ex·​as·​per·​ate ig-ˈza-spə-ˌrāt How to pronounce exasperate (audio)
exasperated; exasperating
Synonyms of exasperatenext

transitive verb

1
a
: to cause irritation or annoyance to
It's a conundrum for any playwright: How do you enliven characters who alternately bore and exasperate each other?—Michael Phillips
It's a demanding dining experience that may exhaust and exasperate some customers …—Thomas Matthews
… they are just like any brothers who love and exasperate each other in equal measure …—Allison Glock
b
: to excite the anger of : enrage
She did show favour to the youth in your sight only to exasperate you, to awake your dormouse valour, to put fire in your heart and brimstone in your liver.—William Shakespeare
… no doubt he thought that such rigorous discipline as that might exasperate five hundred emigrants into an insurrection.—Herman Melville
2
obsolete : to make more grievous : aggravate

exasperate

2 of 2

adjective

ex·​as·​per·​ate ig-ˈza-sp(ə-)rət How to pronounce exasperate (audio)
1
: irritated or annoyed especially to the point of injudicious action : exasperated
2
: roughened with irregular prickles or elevations
exasperate seed coats

Did you know?

Exasperate comes from Latin exasperare, whose base, asper, means "rough." A relative of asper is asperity, which can refer to the roughness of a surface or the roughness of someone's temper. Another is spurn, meaning "to reject."

Did you know?

The Difference Between Exasperate and Exacerbate

Lest you wish to exasperate your readers, you should take care not to confuse exasperate with the similar-sounding exacerbate, another Latin-derived verb that means "to make worse," as in "Their refusal to ask for help only exacerbated the problem."

Synonyms

Verb

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 
Choose the Right Synonym for exasperate

irritate, exasperate, nettle, provoke, rile, peeve mean to excite a feeling of anger or annoyance.

irritate implies an often gradual arousing of angry feelings that may range from mere impatience to rage.

constant nagging that irritated me greatly

exasperate suggests galling annoyance and the arousing of extreme impatience.

his exasperating habit of putting off needed decisions

nettle suggests a sharp but passing annoyance or stinging.

your pompous attitude nettled several people

provoke implies an arousing of strong annoyance that may excite to action.

remarks made solely to provoke her

rile implies inducing an angry or resentful agitation.

the new work schedules riled the employees

peeve suggests arousing fretful often petty or querulous irritation.

a toddler peeved at being refused a cookie

Examples of exasperate in a Sentence

Verb The criticism of his latest movie is sure to exasperate his admirers. We were exasperated by the delays.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Verb
But as visitors flock to the capital in larger numbers — almost nine million in 2023 — some residents are growing exasperated with the effects of mass tourism. —Amanda Gerut, Fortune Europe, 26 Oct. 2024 And the time, 3:02 p.m. Kat called out, exasperated. —Lizz Schumer, People.com, 22 Oct. 2024
Adjective
Hard armoring like that can ultimately exasperate erosion, causing waves to refract and pull sand further out to sea, chipping away at the coast’s sand, Sekich-Quinn said. —Laylan Connelly, Orange County Register, 25 Feb. 2024 At the very least, polarization will introduce uncertainty in foreign affairs and exasperate U.S. allies. —Rachel Myrick, Foreign Affairs, 14 June 2021 See all Example Sentences for exasperate 

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Latin exasperatus, past participle of exasperare, from ex- + asper rough — more at asperity

First Known Use

Verb

1534, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Adjective

1541, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of exasperate was in 1534

Podcast

Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP

Dictionary Entries Near exasperate

Exarchist

exasperate

exasperated

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Exasperate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/exasperate. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

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Kids Definition

exasperate

verb
ex·​as·​per·​ate
ig-ˈzas-pə-ˌrāt
exasperated; exasperating
: to make angry : annoy, irritate

More from Merriam-Webster on exasperate

Nglish: Translation of exasperate for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of exasperate for Arabic Speakers

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