exasperate verb To trouble the nerves or peace of mind of, especially by repeated vexations: If someone or something exasperates you, they annoy you and make you feel frustrated or upset. EXASPERATE meaning: 1. to make someone very annoyed, usually when they can do nothing to solve a problem 2. to make…. Learn more. EXASPERATE definition: to irritate or provoke to a high degree; annoy extremely. See examples of exasperate used in a sentence. exasperate (third-person singular simple present exasperates, present participle exasperating, simple past and past participle exasperated) (transitive) To tax the patience of; irk, frustrate, vex, provoke, annoy; to make angry. Exacerbate is now the more common choice of these two words when one seeks to indicate that something is becoming increasingly bitter, violent, or unpleasant. It comes in part from the Latin word acer, meaning “sharp,” whereas exasperate is from asper, the Latin word for “rough.” To exasperate someone is to annoy him or her to the point of impatience, frustration and irritation, like when you exasperate a busy waiter by asking questions like what are all the ingredients in the salad dressing? exasperate (verb) exasperate /ɪg ˈ zæspəˌreɪt/ Brit /ɪg ˈ zɑːspəreɪt/ verb exasperates; exasperated; exasperating Britannica Dictionary definition of EXASPERATE [+ object] : to make (someone) very angry or annoyed EXASPERATE definition: 1. to make someone very annoyed, usually when they can do nothing to solve a problem 2. to make…. Learn more. irritate, exasperate, nettle, provoke, rile, peeve mean to excite a feeling of anger or annoyance. irritate implies an often gradual arousing of angry feelings that may range from mere impatience to rage.