aggravates

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
aggravate/ˈaɡrəveɪt/

▶verb

• 1 make (a problem, illness, etc.) worse.

• 2 informal annoy (someone).

– derivatives
aggravating adjective,
aggravatingly adverb,
aggravation noun.

– origin C16 (earlier (C15) as aggravation): from L. aggravat-, aggravare ‘make heavy’.

usage: Aggravate in the sense ‘annoy’ is in widespread use in modern English and dates back to the 17th century, but the use is still regarded as incorrect by some traditionalists.