Legal Definitions - aggravation

Aggravation means:

1. The act of making something more serious or severe.
2. In Ecclesiastical law, it refers to a censure that warns the recipient of an increase in the penalties associated with excommunication. For example, if someone ignores a sentence of excommunication, they may be subjected to an anathema, which is a formal ban or curse.

Here are some examples to help you understand the meaning of aggravation:

• When you have a headache, and someone starts playing loud music, it can aggravate your pain.
• If a person is caught stealing, and then they lie about it, it can aggravate their punishment.
• If a student is caught cheating on a test, and then they refuse to admit it, it can aggravate their penalty.

These examples illustrate how aggravation means making something worse or more severe. In the first example, the loud music makes the headache worse. In the second and third examples, lying or refusing to admit to wrongdoing makes the punishment more severe.