AGGRAVATION Synonyms: 97 Similar and Opposite Words

aggravation

noun

ˌa-grə-ˈvā-shən

Definition of aggravation

as in headache

something that is a source of irritation a reminder designed to prevent the aggravation of phones ringing during movies

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in harassment

the act of making unwelcome intrusions upon another the neighbors' constant aggravations prompted us to move out of town

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in frustration

the feeling of impatience or anger caused by another's repeated disagreeable acts informed her children that she didn't need the extra aggravation of hearing them fight in the back seat while they were stuck in traffic

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of aggravation However, Perez was removed from the game in the sixth due to right elbow aggravation. — Kansas City Star, 13 Aug. 2026 Surprisingly, the aggravation that the Spider-Man team endured five years ago hasn’t stopped them from applying a similar playbook to Sadie Sink’s top-secret role in Brand New Day. — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 23 July 2026 So much talk about his ankle this offseason, but an aggravation there obviously isn’t the only issue that could cost him time over a long season. — Troy Renck, Denver Post, 6 July 2026 Depressed dads are more prone to expressing aggravation, annoyance or even rage, Daniel Singley, a psychologist who founded a therapy center for men, said to the Times. — Theara Coleman, TheWeek, 27 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for aggravation

Recent Examples of Synonyms for aggravation

Noun

The usual symptoms include high fever, headache, stiffness and an overall feeling that resembles the flu.

— David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 3 Oct. 2026
Budget cuts The unrest is adding to a major political headache for the government, which is about to start tough budget negotiations against a backdrop of division and economic turmoil.

— Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of headache

Noun

The law only became deployed as a vehicle for students to pursue claims of violence or harassment against other students in the 2000s, Armstrong said.

— Zoe Sottile, CNN Money, 7 Oct. 2026
Three freshman Missouri Tigers football players, including two from the Kansas City metro area, were arrested Monday in Columbia on charges of suspicion of first-degree harassment.

— PJ Green October 7, Kansas City Star, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of harassment

Noun

Players slapped each other’s helmets in frustration while angry voices carried from the sideline.

— D’Joumbarey Moreau, Miami Herald, 3 Oct. 2026
Rubin acknowledged the union’s frustrations in a response to the no-confidence vote, but said there were no funds available to increase overtime.

— Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of frustration

Noun

For homeowners who have spent decades building equity, failing windows are more than a nuisance.

— Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 5 Oct. 2026
Legal experts on the other side question the notion that a public nuisance can be defined so broadly to include both the sale of a legal product and the impact on carbon pollution, much of it coming from China and India.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of nuisance

Noun

While all of Saturday will be dry, skies will trend partly to mostly cloudy as the cloud shield with Isaias and an upper-level disturbance spread into the region.

— Trey Fulbright, CBS News, 8 Oct. 2026
Officers arrived after a disturbance between two neighbors escalated to one man shooting another, police said.

— Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of disturbance

Noun

The third season sees Ranma and fiancée Akane have to deal with old annoyances, new dangers, and even more shenanigans.

— K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 2 Oct. 2026
While some experts cite the threat of civilian drones being equipped to deliver explosives or chemical or biological agents, authorities and defense executives say the more common risk is annoyance and interruption.

— Jason Gewirtz, CNBC, 27 Sep. 2026

Definition of annoyance

Noun

But through a bit of TV fame, and Ramsay’s signature yelling, ranting, exasperation and, in the end, brotherly wisdom, perhaps its restaurant dreams can come true.

— Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 1 Oct. 2026
In a room full of fascists and fools, Ahmed’s projection of competence—and of the spluttering exasperation that is the lot of the competent—proves a genuine balm.

— Justin Chang, New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of exasperation

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aggravating

aggravation

aggravations

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Style

“Aggravation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/aggravation. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of aggravation

noun

Example Sentences

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