# exasperate

> English word · Verb · IPA /ɪɡˈzæsp(ə)ɹeɪt/

## Definitions
1. To tax the patience of; irk, frustrate, vex, provoke, annoy; to make angry.

## Etymology
First attested in 1534; borrowed from Latin exasperātus, the perfect passive participle of Latin exasperō (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from ex (“out of; thoroughly”) + asperō (“to make rough”), from asper (“rough”). Participial usage of the adjective up until Early Modern English.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/exasperate