Literary notes about aggravate (AI summary)
In literature, "aggravate" is often employed to denote the intensification or worsening of a condition, whether it be emotional, physical, or situational. Authors use the term to heighten the gravity of a conflict or distress; for instance, a character might be warned not to provoke further irritation or harm, as when one states, “Thou’d betther not aggravate me” [1] or “Don’t aggravate me” [2]. Beyond personal vexation, the term extends to broader scenarios, ranging from the exacerbation of wounds [3] and diseases [4][5] to the amplification of social or political issues [6][7]. In its varied use, "aggravate" serves as a versatile linguistic tool to underscore the escalation of misfortune or discord within a narrative.
- “Thou’d betther not aggravate me,” says schoolmeasther, efther a little time.
— from Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens - Mind what I said about the marchant service—don’t aggravate me—I won’t have it.
— from Moby Dick; Or, The Whale by Herman Melville - Meantime the enemy who shot the arrow is hard at work to aggravate the wound by all the means in his power.
— from The Golden Bough: A Study of Magic and Religion by James George Frazer - Second, sexual intercourse is injurious for people having heart disease; it may aggravate the disease or even cause sudden death.
— from WomanHer Sex and Love Life by William J. (William Josephus) Robinson - In other districts the proximity of cemeteries seemed to aggravate the disease.
— from Life on the Mississippi by Mark Twain - The title of the offender, and the number of his followers, make no difference in the offence, unless it be to aggravate it.
— from Second Treatise of Government by John Locke - The immediate effect of the Kansas-Nebraska act was to aggravate sectionalism.
— from The Abolition Crusade and Its Consequences: Four Periods of American History by Hilary A. (Hilary Abner) Herbert
