Definition of exacerbate
exacerbated
;exacerbating
transitive verb
: to make more violent, bitter, or severe The new law only exacerbates the problem.
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Examples of exacerbate in a Sentence
The declining retirement security faced by growing numbers of Americans is being exacerbated by increasing longevity and quickly rising health care costs. —Jeff Madrick, New York Review of Books, 20 Mar. 2008
… the sway that pack journalism holds on the Beltway press corps persists. The Crowd is never so influential as in the ever-lengthening season of presidential campaigns. The feverish obsessions of the blogosphere have only exacerbated the phenomenon: Now the herd just turns faster in pursuit of some ginned-up “controversy” or faux scandal. —Editor & Publisher, April 2007
The proposed factory shutdown would only exacerbate our unemployment problems.
His angry comments have exacerbated tensions in the negotiation process.
Recent Examples of exacerbate from the Web
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With the tournament expanding to a record 48 teams and 80 matches for 2026, there will also be logistical headaches – problems that could be exacerbated by playing games in three separate countries.
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Still, Credit Suisse’s Mr. Pozsar suggested that structural issues could continue to exacerbate dollar-funding stress.
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That situation can be exacerbated in schools, where water can sit stagnant in pipes over weekends and holidays.
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Shadows cast by its West Coast namesake and big sister Boston only exacerbated the city's struggle to find space on a national stage.
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Measures to help steady stocks that were put in place after the market turmoil last year now appear to be exacerbating the selling in China.
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The United States and its allies are doubtless working to exacerbate these cleavages, which suggest that the jihadists’ power can be degraded over time in Syria.
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And both sides of the traditional American political dichotomy have only taken steps to exacerbate it for gains in political capital or, worse, simple readership and viewership.
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What scientists do agree upon is that climate change - the fact that the Earth has warmed about 1.5 degrees Fahrenheit since the industrial age began - exacerbated the effects of Sandy.
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Did You Know?
Make it a point to know that the Latin adjective acer, meaning "sharp," forms the basis of a number of words that have come into English. The words acerbic ("having a bitter temper or sour mood"), acrid ("having a sharp taste or odor"), and acrimony ("a harsh manner or disposition") are just the tip of the iceberg. First appearing in English in the 17th century, exacerbate derives from the Latin prefix ex-, which means "out of" or "outside," and acerbus, which means "harsh" or "bitter" and comes from acer. Just as pouring salt in a wound worsens pain, things that exacerbate can cause a situation to go from bad to worse. A pointed insult, for example, might exacerbate tensions between two rivals.
Origin and Etymology of exacerbate
Latin exacerbatus, past participle of exacerbare, from ex- + acerbus harsh, bitter, from acer sharp — more at edge
First Known Use: 1660
EXACERBATE Defined for English Language Learners
exacerbate
playDefinition of exacerbate for English Language Learners
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: to make (a bad situation, a problem, etc.) worse
Medical Dictionary
Learn More about exacerbate
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See words that rhyme with exacerbate Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for exacerbate Spanish Central: Translation of exacerbate Nglish: Translation of exacerbate for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of exacerbate for Arabic speakers
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