From WordNet (r) 2.0 (August 2003) [wn]:
exasperate
v 1: exasperate or irritate [syn: exacerbate, aggravate]
2: make furious [syn: infuriate, incense]
3: make worse; "This drug aggravates the pain" [syn: worsen,
aggravate, exacerbate] [ant: better]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Exasperate \Ex*as"per*ate\, a. [L. exasperatus, p. p. of
exsasperare to roughen, exasperate; ex out (intens.) +
asperare to make rough, asper rough. See Asperity.]
Exasperated; imbittered. [Obs.] --Shak.
[1913 Webster]
Like swallows which the exasperate dying year
Sets spinning. --Mrs.
Browning.
[1913 Webster]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Exasperate \Ex*as"per*ate\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Exsasperated;
p. pr. & vb. n. Exasperating.]
1. To irritate in a high degree; to provoke; to enrage; to
excite or to inflame the anger of; as, to exasperate a
person or his feelings.
[1913 Webster]
To exsasperate them against the king of France.
--Addison.
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2. To make grievous, or more grievous or malignant; to
aggravate; to imbitter; as, to exasperate enmity.
[1913 Webster]
To exasperate the ways of death. --Sir T.
Browne.
Syn: To irritate; provoke. See Irritate.
[1913 Webster]