aggravate + object
Showing that something becomes worse
Aggravate commonly takes a direct object with no preposition.
aggravated the injury during training.
Aggravate by, with, to, in, or as?
Aggravate usually takes a direct object. In passive sentences, by can introduce the cause or agent. With is sometimes used for the thing causing irritation.
Quick answer
Which prepositions are used with aggravate?
Aggravate is most often used without a preposition: The noise aggravated her headache. In passive structures, by can introduce the cause or agent. With can describe what someone is irritated by. Aggravate to, aggravate in, and aggravate as are generally not standard combinations after this verb.
His symptoms were aggravated by stress.
She was aggravated with the delays.
The smoke aggravated his asthma.
She was aggravated with the delays.
The smoke aggravated his asthma.
Choose the pattern by meaning
These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.
aggravated by + cause
Naming the cause in passive sentences
Use by after aggravated to identify what made the problem worse.
The condition was aggravated by lack of sleep.
aggravated with + thing
Expressing irritation with something
With can describe the thing causing annoyance, especially in informal English.
He became aggravated with the constant noise.
See the difference in context
The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.
Construction
Example
Meaning
aggravate by
The pain was aggravated by cold weather.
Standard in passive structures to show the cause.
aggravate with
She was aggravated with the repeated interruptions.
Used to express irritation with something or someone.
aggravate to
The error aggravated the situation to a dangerous level.
Here to introduces a result, not a fixed preposition after aggravate.
aggravate in
The symptoms aggravated in winter.
In is a time adjunct here, not a normal verb-preposition pattern.
aggravate as
Nonstandard after aggravate in most contexts.
As is generally not used directly after aggravate.
Common mistakes
Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.
Using aggravate with unnecessary prepositions
Aggravate usually takes a direct object.
✕ The noise aggravated to her headache. ✓ The noise aggravated her headache.Confusing passive and active patterns
Use by when the sentence is passive.
✕ Stress aggravated by the condition. ✓ The condition was aggravated by stress.Using as after aggravate
As is not a standard complement after aggravate.
✕ The delays aggravated as the customers. ✓ The delays aggravated the customers.Quick practice
Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.
1. The situation was aggravated ___ poor communication.
2. The smoke aggravated ___ asthma.
3. She became aggravated ___ the constant delays.
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Frequently asked questions
Can aggravate be used without a preposition?
Yes. This is the most common pattern: The noise aggravated my headache.
Is aggravate to correct?
Not as a normal verb-preposition combination. To may appear later in the sentence to show a result.
Is aggravated with formal English?
It appears in informal and conversational English, especially for irritation.
Related preposition guides
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