as in to worsen
to make more severe
a misconceived plan that only exacerbated the city's traffic problem
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Recent Examples of exacerbate
Emerging science suggests that long-term exposure to harmful algal blooms, for example over months or years, can cause or exacerbate chronic respiratory, cardiovascular and gastrointestinal problems and may be linked to liver cancers, kidney disease and neurological issues.
—
Gregory J. Dick, The Conversation, 26 June 2025
Mamdani's bad ideas, like freezing the rent, will only exacerbate the underlying causes of the affordability crisis in NYC.
—Carlo Versano, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 June 2025
Tariffs on construction materials will only exacerbate that.
—Andrea Riquier, USA Today, 25 June 2025
Weeks earlier, protests had begun in Venice over their upcoming wedding—which some locals believed would only exacerbate the historic floating city’s problems with overtourism.
—Elise Taylor, Vogue, 25 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for exacerbate
Gregory J. Dick, The Conversation, 26 June 2025
Mamdani's bad ideas, like freezing the rent, will only exacerbate the underlying causes of the affordability crisis in NYC.
—Carlo Versano, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 June 2025
Tariffs on construction materials will only exacerbate that.
—Andrea Riquier, USA Today, 25 June 2025
Weeks earlier, protests had begun in Venice over their upcoming wedding—which some locals believed would only exacerbate the historic floating city’s problems with overtourism.
—Elise Taylor, Vogue, 25 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for exacerbate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for exacerbate
Verb
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Some locals in Venice, which has dealt with overtourism that has strained the city’s infrastructure and services for years, will protest the wedding over concerns its scale will worsen some of the issues created by excessive tourist crowds.—
Antonio Pequeño IV,
Forbes.com,
21 June 2025
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Maybe Meta made subtle changes in its training recipe that accidentally worsened the memorization problem.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
20 June 2025
Verb
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The fractures that divided Senate Republicans before the bill text was released on June 16 remain – or have deepened – now that the details are clear.—
Riley Beggin,
USA Today,
18 June 2025
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The distribution agreement deepens the collaboration between TF1 and Netflix, which already co-produce series together, including Les Combattantes, L’Agence and Tout le bleu du ciel.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
18 June 2025
Verb
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Arizona first baseman Josh Naylor was removed from the game in the seventh inning after apparently aggravating a right shoulder injury.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
28 June 2025
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Land-use experts warned that pushing the density levels too high would not only aggravate the surrounding neighborhoods but also potentially impact the project’s ability to be built.—
Devan Patel,
Mercury News,
28 June 2025
Verb
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Getty Images Cybercriminals have intensified their efforts to steal and sell online passwords, experts warn.—
Dylan Butts,
CNBC,
26 June 2025
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Black women are often conditioned to prioritize others’ needs over their own, and this tendency may intensify during the summertime demands.—
Essence,
Essence,
26 June 2025
Verb
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Adding another first rounder this summer would have complicated both the team’s rotation and salary structure.—
Tony East,
Forbes.com,
25 June 2025
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The budget bill championed by President Donald Trump could complicate next year’s tax filing season after the IRS lost one-quarter of its employees through staffing cuts, an independent watchdog reported Wednesday.—
Orianna Rosa Royle,
Fortune,
25 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Exacerbate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exacerbate. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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