| Main Entry: | |
| 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: | affront |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | insult or involve in entanglement |
| Synonyms: | abuse, anger, annoy, confront, criticize, displease, dispraise, dump on, encounter, face, give a zinger, give the cold shoulder, hit where one lives, meet, offend, outrage, pique, provoke, put down*, slander, slight, taunt, vex |
| Notes: | effrontery means shameless boldness or insulting presumptuousness while an affront is a deliberately offensive act or open insult |
| Antonyms: | appease, assuage, compliment, gratify, mollify, placate, please, satisfy, soothe |
| Main Entry: | antagonize |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | cause problem; oppose |
| Synonyms: | alienate, anger, annoy, counteract, estrange, insult, irritate, neutralize, offend, repel, struggle, work against |
| Antonyms: | agree, aid, help |
| 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: | chafe |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | annoy |
| Synonyms: | abrade, anger, annoy, bother, exasperate, exercise, fret, fume, gall, grate, harass, incense, inflame, irk, irritate, itch, offend, provoke, rage, rasp, rub, ruffle, scrape, scratch, vex, worry |
| Notes: | to chafe means to rub until sore or worn; to chaff means to tease good-naturedly |
| Antonyms: | make happy |
| Main Entry: | displease |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | make unhappy |
| Synonyms: | aggravate, anger, annoy, antagonize, bother, cap, chagrin, cool, curdle, cut to the quick, disappoint, discontent, disgruntle, disgust, disoblige, dissatisfy, enrage, exasperate, fret, frustrate, gall, hurt, incense, irk, irritate, nettle, offend, perplex, pique, play dirty, provoke, put out, repel, revolt, rile, roil, sound, turn off, upset, vex, wing*, worry, zing |
| Antonyms: | appease, calm, compose, delight, humor, make happy, please, satisfy |
| Main Entry: | embitter |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | upset, alienate |
| Synonyms: | acerbate, acidulate, aggravate, anger, annoy, bitter, bother, disaffect, disillusion, envenom, exacerbate, exasperate, irritate, make bitter, make resentful, poison, sour, venom, worsen |
| Antonyms: | calm, comfort, make happy, pacify |
| Main Entry: | enrage |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | make very upset |
| Synonyms: | T-off, aggravate, anger, ask for it, exasperate, get under skin, hack*, incense, incite, inflame, infuriate, ire, irritate, madden, make blood boil, make see red, needle, provoke, rile, steam up, umbrage, whip up |
| Antonyms: | appease, calm, compose, pacify, placate, please, soothe |
| Main Entry: | exasperate |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | upset, provoke |
| Synonyms: | T-off, aggravate, agitate, anger, annoy, bug*, disturb, drive up the wall, embitter, enrage, exacerbate, excite, gall, get under one's skin, get*, incense, inflame, infuriate, irk, irritate, madden, make waves, needle, nettle, peeve, pique, rankle, rile, roil, rouse, try the patience of, vex, work up |
| Antonyms: | calm, comfort, ease, placate, please, soothe |