| Main Entry: | gall |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | upset, irritate |
Synonyms: |
aggravate, annoy, bedevil, bother, burn, chafe, chide, disturb, exasperate, fret, grate, harass, harry, inflame, irk, nag, peeve, pester, plague, provoke, rile, roil, rub, ruffle, scrape, torment, trouble, vex, worry |
Antonyms: |
cheer, encourage, enliven, exhilarate, make happy |
| Main Entry: | gall |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | rub raw |
Synonyms: |
abrade, bark, burn, chafe, corrode, erode, excoriate, file, fray, frazzle, fret, grate, graze, irritate, scrape, scratch, scuff, skin, wear |
| Main Entry: | galling |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | very upsetting |
Synonyms: |
acid, afflictive, aggravating, annoying, bitter, bothersome, distasteful, exasperating, grievous, harassing, humiliating, irksome, irritating, nettlesome, painful, plaguing, provoking, rankling, unpalatable, vexatious, vexing |
Antonyms: |
cheering, comforting, pleasing, satisfying, soothing, wonderful |
| Main Entry: | abrasive |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | irritating in manner |
Synonyms: |
annoying, biting, caustic, cutting, galling, hard to take, hateful, hurtful, nasty, rough, rubbing the wrong way, sharp, spiky, unpleasant |
Antonyms: |
likeable, pleasant, pleasing |
| Main Entry: | aggravate |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | annoy |
Synonyms: |
be at, be on the back of, bother, bug, bum*, dog, drive up the wall, exasperate, gall, get, get on one's nerves, get to, give a hard time, grate, hack, irk, irritate, nag, needle, nettle, peeve, pester, pick on, pique, provoke, tease, vex, wig |
| Notes: | to aggravate is to make something worse, while to exacerbate is to increase something's bitterness or harshness aggravate means 'to add to' an already troublesome or vexing matter or condition while irritate means 'to vex, annoy, or chafe' irritate means 'inflame' (originally 'excite, rouse'); aggravate means 'worsen' |
Antonyms: |
appease, gladden, make happy, mollify, soften |
| Main Entry: | anger |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | make someone mad; become mad |
Synonyms: |
acerbate, affront, aggravate, agitate, annoy, antagonize, arouse, bait, blow up, boil over, boil, bristle, burn, burn up, chafe, craze*, cross, displease, egg on, embitter, enrage, exacerbate, exasperate, excite, fret, gall, get mad, get on one's nerves, goad, incense, inflame, infuriate, irritate, lose one's temper, madden, make sore, miff, nettle, offend, outrage, pique, provoke, raise hell, rankle, rant, rave, rile, ruffle, seethe, steam up, stew, stir up, tempt, umbrage, vex |
Antonyms: |
calm, forbear, make happy, quiet, soothe |
| Main Entry: | annoy |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | irritate, upset |
Synonyms: |
T-off, abrade, agitate, ask for it, badger, be at, be on the back of, bedevil, beleaguer, bore, bother, break, bug, burn up, chafe, displease, distress, disturb, egg on, exasperate, fire up, gall, get, gnaw, harass, harry, heat up, henpeck, hit where one lives, irk, madden, make waves, miff, nag, needle, nettle, nudge, peeve, perturb, pester, plague, provoke, push button, ride, rile, ruffle, tease, tick off, trouble, turn off, vex, work on, worry |
Antonyms: |
aid, gratify, make happy, please, soothe |
| Main Entry: | bait |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | needle |
Synonyms: |
anger, annoy, badger, bother, gall, harass, heckle, hound, irk, irritate, nag, persecute, provoke, tease, torment |
| Main Entry: | bitter |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | painful, distressing |
Synonyms: |
afflictive, annoying, bad, brutal, calamitous, cruel, dire, disagreeable, displeasing, distasteful, disturbing, galling, grievous, hard, harsh, heartbreaking, hurtful, inclement, intemperate, intense, merciless, offensive, poignant, provoking, rigorous, rugged, ruthless, savage, severe, sharp, stinging, unpalatable, unpleasant, vexatious, woeful |
Antonyms: |
good, helping, wonderful |
| Main Entry: | bug |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | bother, disturb |
Synonyms: |
abrade, annoy, badger, chafe, gall, get on someone, harass, irk, irritate, needle, nettle, pester, plague, provoke, vex |
Antonyms: |
not bother |