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 State Department on Wednesday ordered nonemergency government employees and their families to leave Saudi Arabia amid escalating attacks by the Houthis on Saudi infrastructure. — Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 22 Oct. 2026

The escalating tensions have also sent global oil shipping costs soaring, adding another layer of pressure to energy markets. — Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 21 Oct. 2026

Since its premiere last week and subsequent successful box office, awards season buzz has been escalating around the film, Fielder and co-director Lance Oppenheim. — Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026

More protests unraveled in Spain, Belgium and Portugal over the past few weeks, with tensions escalating since the weekend. — Laure Guilbault, Vogue, 20 Oct. 2026

Riot police deployed tear gas across the streets near Place de la République in an attempt to disperse crowds during the escalating street battles, the same source reported. — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 20 Oct. 2026

The White House decision has heightened fears that Ukraine could be left exposed to Moscow's escalating attacks as winter approaches. — Arkansas Online, 18 Oct. 2026

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