Synonyms of escalating

escalating

verb

present participle of escalate

1

as in increasing

to become greater in extent, volume, amount, or number

as the war between the two countries escalated, it threatened to become a global conflict

Synonyms & Similar Words

• increasing
• rising
• accelerating
• swelling
• expanding
• intensifying
• climbing
• multiplying
• proliferating
• snowballing
• mounting
• accumulating
• waxing
• mushrooming
• ballooning
• spreading
• surging
• burgeoning
• booming
• enlarging
• gaining
• rolling up
• skyrocketing
• heightening
• jumping
• appreciating
• building up
• rocketing
• inflating
• peaking
• redoubling
• distending
• puffing (up)
• cresting
• bulking
• crescendoing
• blowing up

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• decreasing
• diminishing
• contracting
• lessening
• receding
• waning
• dwindling

2

as in accelerating

to make greater in size, amount, or number

the president promised to escalate the government's program to combat the dreaded disease

Synonyms & Similar Words

• increasing
• accelerating
• expanding
• boosting
• augmenting
• raising
• multiplying
• extending
• intensifying
• swelling
• enhancing
• stoking
• compounding
• amplifying
• reinforcing
• adding (to)
• enlarging
• upping
• strengthening
• maximizing
• hyping
• skyrocketing
• pumping up
• building up
• aggrandizing
• spiking
• supersizing
• heightening
• supplementing
• booming
• developing
• jumping
• inflating
• prolonging
• lengthening
• stretching
• bumping (up)
• complementing
• distending
• elongating
• drawing out
• dilating
• protracting
• accumulating
• ratcheting (up)
• magnifying
• blowing up
• fleshing (out)
• amassing
• collecting
• racheting (up)
• beefing (up)
• following up
• parlaying

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• reducing
• decreasing
• diminishing
• lowering
• dwindling
• lessening
• downsizing
• subtracting (from)
• abating
• curtailing
• shortening
• de-escalating
• abbreviating
• contracting
• abridging
• compressing
• minifying
• condensing
• constricting
• cutting back
• retrenching

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of escalating

The Stockton City Council voted to remove Jason Lee as vice mayor and from the city's Audit Committee, escalating a dispute over his leadership role amid ongoing tensions at city hall. — Madisen Keavy, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026

The need for food assistance, housing support, and healthcare services is escalating. — Charlotte Observer, 14 Oct. 2026

India cracked down further on anti-government protests that have grown substantially in recent months, escalating from attacking the authorities over education to frustration with what critics see as broader threats to the country’s democracy. — Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 14 Oct. 2026

The International Energy Agency is lowering its world oil demand forecast for the year, noting that the war in Iran is leading to escalating fuel prices, limited oil supplies and a deteriorating economic outlook. — ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026

Clements is accused of escalating the frequent abuse into making the boy perform oral sex. — Shun Graves, Chicago Tribune, 14 Oct. 2026

According to TrusTrace, there’s evidence that even the most basic due diligence practices are lagging in the face of escalating standards and scrutiny. — Kate Nishimura, Footwear News, 13 Oct. 2026

McCallum also warned that Russia is escalating hybrid attacks and that artificial intelligence could help terrorists launch cyberattacks or develop dangerous biological weapons. — Jill Lawless, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026

The policy laid out four AI safety levels (ranging from the least dangerous models, ASL- 1, to the most dangerous, ASL- 4), with escalating rules and protections at each level. — Kevin Roose, Vanity Fair, 7 Oct. 2026