aggravator

/ˈa-grə-ˌvā-tər/ (ame, mw)

aggravator — noun

1. a person who repeatedly does things that irritate or annoy other people, often m

1.名詞C1
釋義

a person who repeatedly does things that irritate or annoy other people, often making a difficult situation even worse than it already was

例句

Javier gained a reputation as the office aggravator, always bringing up upsetting topics in meetings.

reputation as + [article] + aggravator + setting

Wei's younger brother was such an aggravator at dinners that relatives avoided sitting near him.

同義詞
  • annoyance

    more general; can describe both people and things (a noisy fan is an annoyance, not an aggravator)

  • irritant

    often has a physical or medical connotation; can also apply to a person but is less personal

  • nuisance

    slightly more formal; implies behaviour that interferes with others' rights or comfort

  • pest

    informal; suggests persistent but minor irritation, like an annoying child or insect

反義詞
  • peacemaker

    someone who calms conflicts rather than making them worse

文法句型

the [adjective] aggravator

[determiner] aggravator + prepositional phrase

用法筆記

Frequently paired with an adjective or noun modifier that specifies the context of the irritating behaviour ('the office aggravator', 'a relentless aggravator'). Less common in formal writing than the verb 'aggravate'.

常見錯誤

He is an aggressor who keeps interrupting people during meetings.
He is an aggravator who keeps interrupting people during meetings.
💡'Aggressor' means someone who attacks first or starts fights; 'aggravator' means someone who annoys or irritates.