The worn-down anger that results when patience is repeatedly tried.
The worn-down anger that results when patience is repeatedly tried — extreme, fed-up annoyance.
Defined by cause and duration rather than force: the anger of accumulated, repeated provocation — patience worn thin — not a single insult or injustice. Stronger and more “fed-up” than annoyance or irritation, and more anger-tinged than frustration (which centers on blocked goals). Carries no moral charge (unlike indignation or outrage) and no wounded-pride trigger (unlike pique or umbrage). You are exasperated by a malfunctioning printer or a child's hundredth question.
1540s, “irritation, provocation,” from Late Latin exasperationem, from exasperare “to roughen; irritate” (ex- “thoroughly” + asper “rough,” the root of asperity). The image is of making something rough or abrasive.
Stable since the 16th century in the sense of irritation from provocation. No reliable recent-generation shift is sourced.