Aggravatingly

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. In a way that makes a problem, situation, or feeling worse or more severe
2. Expressing something done to increase annoyance or difficulty in circumstances
3. Performed so as to intensify frustration, irritation, or negative effects

Etymology: "Aggravatingly" is simply "aggravating" with the adverb ending "-ly" attached. The adjective "aggravating" is the -ing form of the verb "aggravate," which English took from Latin "aggravare," meaning "to make heavier," built from "ad-" (toward) and "gravis" (heavy). The original sense was literal weight; "aggravate" came to mean making a burden or injury worse before it took on the everyday sense of irritating someone. The ending "-ly" has a long pedigree of its own. It descends from a Proto-Germanic suffix meaning "body" or "form," which became Old English "-līce," meaning "in the manner of." Over the centuries the ending wore down to "-ly" in Middle English, so "aggravatingly" describes doing something in a way that makes matters worse.

Synonyms: annoyingly, irritatingly, vexingly, exasperatingly

Antonyms: pleasantly, comfortably, agreeably, calmly, soothingly