aggravate

to make a bad thing worse

Roots

ad- / a-: to, toward, added onto, or intensified
grav / gravis: heavy, weighty, serious, or burdensome

Other words with the grav / gravis root

gravity: weight or serious force
grief: deep sorrow or suffering
grievance: a complaint about harm or unfair treatment

Aggravate means add weight to a problem until it becomes worse.

Ignoring the leak only aggravated the damage.

Aggravate once carried the literal make-heavy image. Modern use keeps the burden: a mistake, injury, insult, or delay adds weight to an already bad thing.