ex·as·per·ate
ig-ˈza-spə-ˌrāt 
exasperated; exasperating
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
Michael PhillipsIt's a demanding dining experience that may exhaust and exasperate some customers …—Thomas Matthews
Thomas Matthews… they are just like any brothers who love and exasperate each other in equal measure …—Allison Glock
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
William Shakespeare… no doubt he thought that such rigorous discipline as that might exasperate five hundred emigrants into an insurrection.—Herman Melville
Herman Melville2
obsolete
: to make more grievous : aggravate
ex·as·per·ate
ig-ˈza-sp(ə-)rət
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?
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
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
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
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 
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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
Articles Related to exasperate
Dictionary Entries Near exasperate
Cite this Entry
“Exasperate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/exasperate. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
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