exasperate meaning

the word 'exasperate' means to make someone very annoyed or frustrated.

exasperate :

to annoy, to frustrate

verb

▪ The loud noise exasperated the teacher.

▪ The loud noise annoyed the teacher.

▪ She was exasperated by the constant questions.

▪ She was frustrated by the constant questions.

paraphrasing

▪ irritate – to annoy slightly

▪ frustrate – to cause feelings of anger or disappointment

▪ provoke – to cause someone to be angry

▪ annoy – to disturb or irritate

exasperate

Pronunciation

exasperate [ɪɡˈzæspəreɪt]

The stress is on 'asper' and sounds like 'ig-zas-puh-rayt'.

Common phrases and grammar about exasperate

exasperate - Common meaning

verb
to annoy, to frustrate

Part of Speech Changes for "exasperate"

▪ exasperation (noun) – the state of being very annoyed or frustrated

▪ exasperated (adjective) – feeling very annoyed or frustrated

Common Expressions with "exasperate"

▪ exasperate someone – to make someone very annoyed

▪ exasperate a situation – to make a situation worse or more frustrating

▪ exasperate with delays – to be annoyed because of waiting

▪ exasperate to the limit – to annoy someone to the highest degree

Important examples of exasperate in TOEIC

Vocabulary examples from the TOEIC test

In TOEIC vocabulary questions, exasperate is often used to describe feelings of annoyance.

▪The long meeting exasperated the employees.
▪The long meeting annoyed the employees.

Example of a confusing word: exacerbate (to worsen)

▪The long meeting exacerbated the employees.
▪The long meeting worsened the employees' mood.
"Exasperate" is a transitive verb meaning "to irritate intensely" or "to make someone very annoyed." In the sentence "The long meeting exasperated the employees," it correctly conveys the idea of causing annoyance. "Exacerbate," however, means "to make a situation worse" and is typically used with conditions or problems, not people directly. Saying "The long meeting exacerbated the employees" is grammatically incorrect because "exacerbate" does not fit semantically with "employees." Therefore, "exasperate" is the correct choice.

Grammar examples from the TOEIC test

Exasperate is usually used as a transitive verb, meaning it needs an object to show who is annoyed.

▪The teacher was exasperated by the noise.
▪The teacher was annoyed by the noise.

exasperate

Idioms and fixed expressions in TOEIC

exasperate to the point of frustration

means 'to annoy someone so much they feel frustrated'.

▪The delays exasperated the team to the point of frustration.
▪The delays annoyed the team so much they felt frustrated.

exasperate someone to tears

means 'to annoy someone so much they cry'.

▪The constant questions exasperated her to tears.
▪The constant questions annoyed her so much she cried.

Differences between similar words and exasperate

exasperate

,

irritate

differences

Exasperate means to make someone very annoyed, while irritate means to annoy slightly.

exasperate
▪The noise exasperated the students.
▪The noise annoyed the students.
irritate
▪The teacher was irritated by the noise.
▪The teacher was slightly annoyed by the noise.

exasperate

,

frustrate

differences

Exasperate means to make someone very annoyed, while frustrate often means to cause feelings of anger or disappointment.

exasperate
▪The delays exasperated the workers.
▪The project caused anger and disappointment for the workers.
frustrate
▪The project frustrated the workers.
▪The project caused anger and disappointment for the workers.

Words with the same origin as exasperate

The origin of exasperate

Exasperate comes from the Latin 'exasperare,' meaning 'to make rough or harsh,' which evolved to mean 'to annoy greatly.'

Word structure

The composition is unclear.

Words with the same origin

The word's root is unclear or difficult to confirm.

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