Aggravation refers to the act of intensifying irritation or annoyance, or to a source of irritation itself. In broader use, it can denote aggravating factors that worsen a situation or condition, or the state of being aggravated. The term often conveys persistent or provoking elements that heighten discomfort or frustration.
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- You may flatten the second syllable’s vowel to a schwa or /ɪ/; keep it /æ/ to maintain the “gra-” portion. - Don’t rush the /eɪ/ before /ʃən/; treat /eɪ/ as a crisp diphthong leading into /ʃən/. - Misplace stress to AG-grav-a-tion; hold the stress on the third syllable a-GRA-va-tion. Correction tips: exaggerate the second syllable vowel briefly during drills, then taper into natural speed; practice minimal pairs with /æ/ vs /eɪ/ to reinforce the correct diphthong; use a metronome to normalize rhythm so the /æ/ and /eɪ/ are distinct.
- US: rhotic; ensure /ɚ/ coloring after the gRA- cluster where relevant, especially if connected speech influences /ɡrævə/ as /ɡrævə/. - UK: non-rhotic; the /r/ after vowels is silent; focus on crisp /æ/ and /eɪ/, with a slightly tighter jaw to preserve clarity in the final /ʃən/. - AU: similar to UK in rhoticity; keep vowels bright but relaxed; Australians often show slight vowel raising on /eɪ/ and a less pronounced /r/.
"The delay was an aggravation he could have done without, especially since it caused him to miss the meeting."
"Her nagging questions became an ongoing aggravation during the long conference."
"The construction noise is a daily aggravation for nearby residents."
"He felt the aggravation of the problem escalate as costs kept rising."
Aggravation comes from the Late Latin aggravationem (nominative aggravatio), from the verb aggravare, meaning to worsen or to make heavier. The prefix ad- (toward) combined with gravis (heavy) effectively conveys “toward heaviness.” The noun form aggravation appears in English by the 15th century, initially in medical or legal contexts to denote worsening conditions or charges. Over time, its usage broadened to everyday language, where it captures the idea of aggravating factors or expressions that heighten annoyance or tension. The word retains a sense of intensification and burden, akin to “making something heavier” in a figurative sense, such as increasing irritation, aggravating a dispute, or contributing to aggravation in a situation. The evolution reflects a shift from formal, technical uses to common parlance, while preserving the core notion of escalation and weight. First known uses often appear in medical or legal texts, where aggravation described the worsening of symptoms or charges, before expanding into general description of nuisance and provocation in colloquial speech.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "aggravation" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "aggravation"
-ion sounds
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Pronounce as /əˌɡrævəˈeɪʃən/ in US and UK English, with primary stress on the third syllable: a-GRA-va-tion. Start with a schwa, then /ɡræv/ cluster, followed by /əˈeɪ/ and end with /ʃən/. Mouth positions require a relaxed initial vowel, a light “g” with the back of the tongue, and a clear diphthong in the final stressed syllable. Audio reference: listen for the /ˈeɪ/ in the last stressed syllable and the /ʃ/ before it.
Common errors include misplacing stress (putting emphasis on the first syllable: AG-gra-va-tion), mispronouncing the middle /æ/ as /eɪ/ or /ə/ and flattening the final /ʃən/ to /ʃən/ or /tʃən/. To correct: emphasize the second interior syllable with /æ/ as in cat, and ensure the final /eɪ/ is pronounced as a true diphthong before the /ʃən/.
In US/UK/AU, the core /əˌɡrævəˈeɪʃən/ remains, but rhoticity affects the initial schwa and occasional /r/ awareness in US. US tends to be more rhotic; UK and AU may drop R after vowels in non-rhotics, affecting the flow before the /ə/ and /eɪ/. Vowel quality can be slightly tighter in UK, with a crisper /æ/ and less vocal precision on the /ɜː/ region in non-rhotic accents. Overall, the pronunciation remains close, with minor vowel shaping differences.
Two main challenges: the sequence /æv/ in the middle and the final /eɪʃən/ cluster. The /æ/ in the second syllable can be shortened in fast speech, and the /ɡræv/ cluster requires precise articulation to avoid confusion with /ˈɡrævən/. The final /eɪʃən/ often sounds like /əʃən/ if rushed. Practice slow, then accelerate while preserving the delicate transition between /və/ and /eɪʃən/.
No separate /t/ is pronounced in the conventional American/UK/Australian pronunciation; the ending syllable is /ʃən/, with the final /ʃ/ preceding a reduced vowel. The sequence is /-eɪʃən/ where the /t/ is absorbed into the /ʃ/ grain due to assimilation in rapid speech. Some speakers may lightly release a /t/ if carefully enunciating the transitional sounds, but this is nonstandard.
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- Shadowing: listen to natives say aggravation and imitate exactly, sentence by sentence. - Minimal pairs: agGRAVation vs aGRAVation? Not applicable; instead contrast with aggravating contexts; use pairs with /æ/ vs /eɪ/ in stressed syllable: AG-grav-ation vs AG-grav-ation [no]. - Rhythm: count syllables: a-GRAV-a-tion; practice 4-0-5-?; you want even pace across four syllables. - Stress: practice alternating loudness between syllables; ensure stress lands on /ˌɡræv/ portion; - Recording: record and compare to reference; note timing between /ræv/ and /eɪʃən/.
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