exasperate
/ɪɡˈzæsp(ə)ɹeɪt/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: 1.90 in modern English
19
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
4
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
verb
To overaspirate the letter h, or to aspirate it whenever it begins a word, once a common form of hypercorrection.
British usage; Humorous; Obsolete; Slang
Example Sentences
- "And this report Hath so exasperate [sic] the king that he Prepares for some attempt of war."
- "The picture represents a Cape-Horner in a great hurricane; the half-foundered ship weltering there with its three dismantled masts alone visible; and an exasperated whale, purposing to spring clean over the craft, is in the enormous act of impaling himself upon the three mast-heads."
- "Beadle goes into various shops and parlours, examining the inhabitants; always shutting the door first, and by exclusion, delay, and general idiotcy, exasperating the public."
- "[S]he exasperates her security men by acting as if she were protected by some invisible shield."
- "News that Adam Crozier, Royal Mail chief executive, is set to receive a bumper bonus will exasperate postal workers."
- "And this report Hath ſo exaſperate their King, that hee Prepares for ſome attempt of Warre."
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.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: exasperō
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ɪɡˈzæsp(ə)ɹeɪt/
- British English: /ɪɡˈzæsp(ə)ɹeɪt/
Usage
- Transitive verb
- Obsolete
- British usage
- Humorous
- Slang
Inflected Forms
exasperates (present, singular)
exasperating (participle, present)
exasperated (participle, past)
exasperated (past)
more exasperate (comparative)
most exasperate (superlative)