The act of making a problem, injury, or offense worse or more serious. Excessive training resulted in the aggravation of his shoulder injury.
A source of annoyance or irritation. Dealing with the broken printer was a major aggravation for the office staff.
The state of being aggravated or annoyed. His aggravation was evident when he had to wait in line for over an hour.
Law: a circumstance or detail that increases the severity or culpability of a criminal act. The use of a weapon constituted an aggravation of the assault charge.