aggravating

aggravating — adjective

1. causing you to feel slightly angry or impatient, especially because something ke

1.形容詞B1
釋義

causing you to feel slightly angry or impatient, especially because something keeps happening or someone will not stop behaving in an unpleasant way

例句

My younger brother has an aggravating habit of humming while I am trying to study.

attributive use: aggravating habit

The constant kitchen tap drip was so aggravating that Elena called a plumber.

同義詞
  • annoying

    weaker in intensity; aggravating suggests a stronger feeling of irritation built up over time

  • irritating

    very similar in meaning, but aggravating often implies the irritation comes from someone or something that keeps bothering you

  • exasperating

    stronger; implies a feeling of being tested to the limit of patience

反義詞
  • pleasing

    opposite in that it describes something that gives satisfaction rather than irritation

  • soothing

    describes something that calms rather than irritates

文法句型

aggravating + noun (attributive)

be + aggravating + to-infinitive

be + aggravating + that-clause

find + object + aggravating

用法筆記

Frequently used when talking about small, repeated irritations rather than serious problems. This sense is much more common than the formal legal/medical meaning.

常見錯誤

❌The medicine aggravating my cough' (confusing verb and adjective).
✅The medicine aggravated my cough.
💡aggravating is the adjective form; use 'aggravated' (past tense verb) when describing a single action that made something worse.
❌It is very aggravating that he always late.
✅It is very aggravating that he is always late.
💡the that-clause needs a proper subject and verb.

2. used to describe a factor that adds to the seriousness or severity of a medical

2.形容詞B2
釋義

used to describe a factor that adds to the seriousness or severity of a medical condition, a legal offence, or an already difficult situation

例句

The judge stated that lying to the police under questioning was an aggravating factor in the case.

collocation: aggravating factor (legal)

Smoking is an aggravating factor that can make asthma attacks much more severe.

collocation: aggravating factor (medical)

同義詞
  • worsening

    more direct and less formal; can be used in similar contexts but lacks the legal/technical weight

  • compounding

    often used in formal or medical writing; emphasises that one problem is added to another

  • exacerbating

    the closest formal synonym; common in medical writing for conditions that become more severe

反義詞
  • mitigating

    the direct legal opposite; mitigating factors reduce the seriousness of a crime

  • alleviating

    in medical contexts, something that makes a condition less severe rather than worse

文法句型

aggravating + noun (factor / circumstance / condition / feature)

用法筆記

Frequently used in legal contexts as part of the phrase 'aggravating factor' or 'aggravating circumstances,' where it refers to reasons for giving a harsher punishment. In medical contexts it describes anything that makes an illness or injury worse. This sense is almost never used predicatively ('This is aggravating' would be understood as sense 1).

常見錯誤

❌The rainy weather is aggravating my illness.' (should be verb).
✅The rainy weather is an aggravating factor for my illness.
💡use the adjective form to describe a factor, not an action.
❌He is aggravating the situation with his comments.' (verb, not adjective).
✅His comments are an aggravating factor in the situation.
💡aggravating as an adjective describes a factor, not a person's action.