Aggravate – Word of the Day for IELTS Speaking & Writing

Aggravate – Word of the Day for IELTS Speaking & Writing

Aggravate /ˈæɡrəveɪt/ (a) :

1. to make an illness or a bad or unpleasant situation worse
2. (informal) to annoy somebody, especially deliberately

Synonyms: worsen, precipitate, exacerbate, complicate | irritate, exasperate, provoke, irk

Antonyms: decelerate, alleviate, mitigate, ease | conciliate, pacify, placate

Also check :

• IELTS Speaking
• IELTS Writing

Examples :

• Inefficient housing and land management in urban cities has aggravated the shortage of land and the rise of property prices.
• The intervention of media will only aggravate social discontent and rebellion among citizens.
• The increasing amount of untreated chemical emissions has aggravated air pollution in many industrial zones over the last few years.
• Her skin issues have been aggravated due to excessive exposure to sunlight without any coverage or protection.

Inefficient (a): not doing a job well and not making the best use of time, money, energy, etc.

Intervention (n): action taken to improve or help a situation

Social discontent (n): Dissatisfaction with social circumstances

Rebellion (n): an attempt by some of the people in a country to change their government, using violence

Untreated (a): not made safe by chemical or other treatment

Emission (n): gas, etc. that is sent out into the air

Industrial zone (n): an area zoned for industrial development

Excessive (a): greater than what seems reasonable or appropriate

Exposure (n): the state of being in a place or situation where there is no protection from something harmful or unpleasant

Coverage (n): protection against a risk

IELTS Practice

Are people concerned about environmental problems in your country?

The environment quality has rapidly aggravated over the last decades and never have people been more concerned about it. I am quite sure that citizens all over the world, including in my country, are highly aware of environmental issues and their responsibilities in protecting our planet. It’s quite an improvement, I suppose, in comparison to a few years back when little did they know or make effort to protect the environment. Now, most have tried to keep their neighbor clean and cut down on the amount of plastic bags and electricity to join hand for a better life.

• Be aware of: be concerned and well informed about a particular situation or development
• Improvement (n): the act of making something better; the process of something becoming better
• Cut down on (phrasal verb): to reduce an amount of something