How to use aggravate vs. irritate
Aggravate (a verb) comes from the Latin aggravatus, which means to “to render more troublesome … to make heavy or heavier, add to the weight of” (Etymonline, aggravate).
To irritate, also a Latin verb from irritatus, (meaning to excite, provoke or annoy), quite literally means to annoy or make someone angry or impatient.
Oxford Learner’s Dictionary definition for irritate is, “to annoy somebody, especially by something you continuously do or by something that continuously happens”.
So, the consensus seems that to aggravate someone or something means to make an already difficult or frustrating situation worse, whereas to irritate is to provoke or annoy.
Strunk & White on aggravate vs. irritate
From Strunk & White on the word aggravate:
This word is not a synonym for annoy or irritate. To aggravate is to make something worse: He started running too soon and aggravated his sprained ankle.
“Aggravate” / “irritate”, used in sentences
| Examples: “aggravate”, used in sentences |
|---|
| He aggravated an old shoulder injury during the win against Chelsea. The government’s actions will only aggravate the problem. Their negative reactions have greatly aggravated the situation. |
| Examples: “irritate”, used in sentences |
|---|
| That man really irritates me! She was moody at times and easily irritated. The noise was beginning to irritate me intensely. She was irritated by his continued refusal to believe her. |
Aggravate, synonyms
- bother
- irritate
- provoke
- bug
- dog
- exasperate
- gall
- get
- get on one’s nerves
- grate
- hack
Irritate, synonyms
- annoy
- bother
- confuse
- disturb
- enrage
- exasperate
- gall
- incense
- inflame
- infuriate
- irk
- offend
- peeve
- provoke
Word origin (of aggravate/irritate)
1520s, “make heavy, burden down,” from Latin aggravatus, past participle of aggravare “to render more troublesome,” literally “to make heavy or heavier, add to the weight of,” from ad “to” (see ad-) + gravare “weigh down,” from gravis “heavy”.
1530s, “stimulate to action, rouse, incite,” from Latin irritatus, past participle of irritare “excite, provoke, annoy”.
Read about other misused words
Sources
- Oxford Learner’s Dictionary on “aggravate” and “irritate”. Accessed 31 March, 2024.
- Harper, Douglas. “Etymology of aggravate.” Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/word/aggravate. Accessed 31 March, 2024.
