Somewhere or other I used the word aggravate, intending it to be the equivalent of irritate (as in, I was aggravated by how long I had to wait). I was informed that aggravate means 'to make worse', which wouldn't apply to my usage, barring an assumption about my mood prior to having to wait!
Does anyone else use aggravate meaning irritate? I am wondering whether aggravate might have formerly had just the one meaning, but if the usage in my sense is common, has slowly acquired a second? And if so, is it valid?