What does aggravation mean?
Word: Aggravation
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Aggravation means the act of making a problem, illness or situation worse. It can also mean annoyance.
Synonyms: worsening, annoyance, irritation
Antonyms: improvement
How do you spell aggravation?
Syllables: ag - gra - va - tion
Tricky part: The v is single, and the vowel after it is a.
Watch out for: aggrevation, aggravasion, aggravvation
Memory tip: Aggravation adds weight to a problem, and grav means heavy, as in gravity.
Aggravation in a sentence
Example 1: The noise from the building site was a daily aggravation for the neighbours.
Example 2: Losing the bus pass again caused Mum a lot of aggravation.
Example 3: Parking on both sides of the lane only adds to the aggravation of the traffic problem.
Fun Fact
Aggravation first meant making something heavier or more serious. Some old grammar books objected to using it to mean annoyance, but that sense is now common.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word:
aggravation
a) trouble
b) bother
c) relief
d) nuisance
Show answer
c) relief. Relief eases a problem, while aggravation makes it worse.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
For Ravi, skipping his practice led to the agravation of his worries before the match.
a) skipping
b) worries
c) agravation
d) practice
Show answer
c) agravation. The word opens with a double g, as in aggressive.
Mingle-Mangle
Form a meaningful word from the jumbled letters:
vngaraoiagt
a) aggravation
b) aggravating
c) navigation
d) aggregation
Show answer
a) aggravation. Aggregation needs an e, aggravating has no o, and navigation needs a second n and has no r.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which action would cause aggravation of a small leak in the roof?
a) patching it with fresh cement
b) poking at the hole with a stick
c) covering it with a plastic sheet
d) calling a repairer to fix it
Show answer
b) poking at the hole with a stick
2. Which situation is an aggravation in the annoying sense?
a) a surprise birthday party
b) a sunny day at the beach
c) a long, restful sleep
d) a tap that drips all night
Show answer
d) a tap that drips all night
