"Aggravate" commonly used? [closed]
I'm a non-native speaker writing a song in which I would really like to use "aggravate" in the context of "We could aggravate us everyday" (constantly annoy each other). Somehow the word just came into my mind and I'm not entirely sure if this is a valid - and somewhat common - use of the word.
So, my two questions: 1) Is the sentence "We could aggravate us everyday" correct in my context? 2) Is it more or less commonly used? After all, I wouldn't want my song to sound more like an academic paper.
Thank you.
So, my two questions: 1) Is the sentence "We could aggravate us everyday" correct in my context?
It is not correct in any context. "us" is wrong". It has to be
- "We could aggravate each other everyday." This means I would aggravate you and you would aggravate me.
or depending on the context
- "We could aggravate ourselves everyday [by having to walk for miles to get the water]." This means that we would both become aggravated by something, e.g. [by having to walk for miles to get the water].
The belief that "to aggravate" only means "to make something worse" is erroneous, and has been since the 16th century:
OED:
6. a. transitive. To exasperate (a person); to incense, embitter; to provoke, arouse the dislike, dissatisfaction, or concern of; (also in weakened use) to annoy or irritate. Now chiefly colloquial.
1598 J. Florio Worlde of Wordes "Essagerare, to exasperat, to prouoke, to irritate, to agrauat, to exaggerat, to amplifie, to extoll."
1965 A. Lurie Nowhere City xvii. 186 ‘Don't aggravate yourself. It'll be no trouble’.
1998 Rec. Collector Apr. 76/1 None of the band was over twenty, their brattish antics aggravated the cognoscenti and they didn't even play on their singles.