exasperate
/ig-ˈza-spə-ˌrāt/
verb
to cause irritation or annoyance to
to excite the anger of : enrage
to make more grievous : aggravate
It's a conundrum for any playwright: How do you enliven characters who alternately bore and exasperate each other?
She did show favour to the youth in your sight only to exasperate you, to awake your dormouse valour, to put fire in your heart and brimstone in your liver.
irritate exasperate nettle provoke rile peeve mean to excite a feeling of anger or annoyance. irritate implies an often gradual arousing of angry feelings that may range from mere impatience to rage. exasperate suggests galling annoyance and the arousing of extreme impatience.
adjective
irritated or annoyed especially to the point of injudicious action : exasperated
roughened with irregular prickles or elevations