aggro

noun, adj, verb — 11 senses

aggro

noun

US /ˈæɡ.ɹoʊ/ · UK /ˈæɡ.ɹəʊ/

Etymology From a clipping of aggravation + -o (diminutive suffix), influenced by aggressive.

1

Slang Aggravation; bother.

  • But the thing to remember was that some women were prepared to provide an outlet, in spite of all the aggro, if the money was right. And lots of guys were prepared to pay, in spite of the aggro. And what the aggro boiled down to, if you thought about it, was the shame of being known to be the person who had been involved.2011, Helen DeWitt, Lightning Rods, page 25:
2

Australia, UK, Slang Aggressive behaviour; loud, intimidating behaviour that convincingly threatens violence without necessarily actually becoming violent.

  • Move along, lads; we don't want any aggro.
  • That is the case because, according to Marsh, soccer hooliganism is one of Britain's principal forms of aggro. If it is true that there is an absence of aggro traditions in the USA — and there is a wealth of evidence which suggests that Marsh is wrong on this score — then it is reasoble to deduce from Marsh′s arguments that it is unlikely that phenomena such as soccer hooliganism could or ever will develop there.1999, Eric Dunning, Sport Matters : Sociological Studies of Sport, Violence and Civilisation, page 162:
1 more example
  • ‘We ain′t got a name yet. We′re into aggro.’ ‘Aggro?’ ‘Yeah, you know, aggression, aggravation. Aggro’.2011, Jake Arnott, The Long Firm, unnumbered page:
3

Games, Gaming Slang A measure of a player's level of belligerence.

  • To reduce one player's aggro level, the other must build up his own.2007, Bendik Stang, Morten A. Osterholt, Erik Hoftun, The Book of Games Volume 2: The Ultimate Reference on PC & Video Games, page 98:
  • What isn't so gimmicky is the Aggro System, where you draw fire onto yourself by acting aggressive, while your partner sneaks off blindsiding distracted enemies. Aggro depends on how big your current weapon is and how often you act aggressive.2008 April, GameAxis Unwired, page 54:
1 more example
  • We asked for an ability to trasnfer^([sic]) our aggro to another player—were told that could cause some abuse.2010, Luke Cuddy, John Nordlinger, editors, World of Warcraft and Philosophy: Wrath of the Philosopher King, page 187:
4

Games, Gaming Slang Hostile attention from an enemy.

  • You just pulled aggro off the tank and wiped the raid.
Derived terms
aggrotech, paggro

aggro

adj

Etymology From a clipping of aggravation + -o (diminutive suffix), influenced by aggressive.

  • “The Chuckster say you two be finding aggro idiot who kilt Long,” said Dude. I thought I understood but looked at Charles for help. “Aggro means pissed off.” translated Charles. He still hadn't cracked a smile. Tardiness made Charles aggro.2011, Bill Noel., The Marsh: A Folly Beach Mystery, page 70:
2

Colloquial, Slang Aggressive; inclined to attack (including, in video games, without having first been attacked).

  • He […] gets over to the wasp nest and the wasps are aggro on him. He pours the petrol down the hole, stands back and throws a match in. Wooomph! Problem solved, there's no problem at all. The only problem was that all he'd done was to burn all the wings off the wasps and then[…]1996, Steve Locker-Lampson, Throw Me the Wreck, Johnny: Memories of Kelly Tarlton, the Man Behind the Legend, page 45:
  • Australian Magpies have nested in a gum just inside the front gate, and are aggro to all the other birds. I watched a 'maggie' feeding a baby almost as big as itself - it hauled out of the front lawn a huge spider, so big it had trouble beaking it, and it was comical to see it fly with […]2005, The Bird Observer: The Official Organ of the Bird Observers' Club, pages 835-7:
2 more examples
  • a lazy worker who drank hard, who was aggro to all, who then chased after someone's underage daughter, got in a fight over it, got kicked out, moved on to do it all again somewhere else.2024 March 5, Fairbanks, The Long and Winding Road: a collection of short stories, Xlibris Corporation, →ISBN:
  • and now these casters are aggro to you, right? so this is the issue […]2025 Sept 15, league_play.hardhook (username), Instagram, post
3

Colloquial, Slang Of a deck, designed for aggressive play that seeks to defeat the opponent in the early stages of the game.

4

Colloquial, Slang Of a player, favoring such decks.

5

UK, US, Slang Hardcore, aggressive.

  • At the beginning of the twenty-first century the physically adept aggro femme had become a recurring motif in new circus and physical theatre.2005, Peta Tait, Circus Bodies: cultural identity in aerial performance, page 131:
  • Each Black Flag line-up had a personality and vibe. They were all totally aggro and totally rocking.2013, Stewart Dean Ebersole, Barred for Life:

aggro

verb

Etymology From a clipping of aggravation + -o (diminutive suffix), influenced by aggressive.

1

Games, Gaming Slang To become aggressive towards the player's character.

  • They'll aggro on you if you get too close.
2

Games, Gaming Slang To cause (a non-player character) to become aggressive towards the player's character.

  • I aggroed the dragon by stealing from its hoard, and it killed me.
Derived terms
deaggro

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.