exasperater

ex·as·per·ate

 (ĭg-zăs′pə-rāt′)

tr.v. ex·as·per·at·ed, ex·as·per·at·ing, ex·as·per·ates

1. To make very angry or impatient; annoy greatly.

2. To increase the gravity or intensity of: "a scene ... that exasperates his rose fever and makes him sneeze" (Samuel Beckett).

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[Latin exasperāre, exasperāt- : ex-, intensive pref.; see ex- + asperāre, to make rough (from asper, rough).]

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ex·as′per·at′ed·ly adv.

ex·as′per·at′er n.

ex·as′per·at′ing·ly adv.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.