exacerbated

verb

past tense of exacerbate
as in aggravated
to make more severe a misconceived plan that only exacerbated the city's traffic problem

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of exacerbated The problem is only exacerbated when a child is given access to a full-fledged chatbot product, such as Google Gemini. — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 8 Nov. 2026 Critics have raised concerns over the ballooning price tag for taxpayers, along with transportation, parking and environmental challenges expected to be exacerbated by the project. — Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 7 Nov. 2026 The conflict was exacerbated further when population increases coincided with an abundance of natural resources, as in oil-rich Nigeria, which experienced roughly 150% growth in population between 1940 and 1980. — Daron Acemoglu, Time, 7 Nov. 2026 The disparities extend beyond hiring and are exacerbated at higher ranks. — Aldrin Rafael Bonilla, New York Daily News, 7 Nov. 2026 The war has also exacerbated a squeeze in global refining capacity which has sent the cost of products like diesel, gasoline and jet fuel soaring. — Jenni Reid, CNBC, 6 Nov. 2026 Alexey Babushkin/Pool/AFP via Getty Images Despite being a major producer, Iran has long suffered natural gas shortages, which have been exacerbated by the war with the United States and Israel. — Frank Andrews, CBS News, 6 Nov. 2026 Maersk raised its full-year guidance for the third time this year amid soaring freight rates exacerbated by heavy port congestion since the summer. — Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 5 Nov. 2026 That’s troubling, scientists and advocates say, because the failure to address new pollution is exacerbated by both historical pollution and the effects of climate change. — Jonathan Mingle, ProPublica, 4 Nov. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for exacerbated
  1. aggravated
  2. deepened
  3. worsened
  4. intensified
  5. complicated
Verb
  • Brents has been nursing a neck/shoulder injury for the past two weeks and re-aggravated it in Sunday’s 28-25 win over the Jets.
    — Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 29 Oct. 2026
  • The fighting on the Ethiopian side of the border stems from a territorial dispute between the Oromia and Somali regional administrations, aggravated by the killing of a 13-year-old girl in an area administered by the Somali regional administration.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of aggravated
Verb
  • In addition, CrowdStrike has deepened its partnership with Nvidia in 2026, collaborating on real-time AI security agents that aim to protect data centers and cloud infrastructure.
    — Liz Napolitano, CNBC, 2 Nov. 2026
  • El Sayed’s campaign asked Stevens to stay away from his remaining campaign events on Saturday as the two deepened their feud just days ahead of the toss-up Senate race.
    — Molly Parks, The Washington Examiner, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of deepened
Verb
  • As conditions worsened overnight, emergency crews sent warnings to evacuate.
    — Kelly Werthmann, CBS News, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Unusually hot ocean water worsened the sea level rise that peaked during last week’s high tides.
    — Sean Greene, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of worsened
Verb
  • The Middle East is not the only part of the world where threats to the Internet’s undersea backbone have intensified.
    — Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 6 Nov. 2026
  • Two years later, as clashes between the South Vietnamese government and protesters intensified, Morgenthau urged the United States to get out.
    — David Sacks, Foreign Affairs, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of intensified
Verb
  • Debates over consciousness have further complicated the conversation about how to regulate AI.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Day’Ron Sharpe’s foul trouble has complicated his impact inside, and the center combination of Sharpe and Wagner has yet to provide a dependable defensive foundation.
    — C.J. Holmes, New York Daily News, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of complicated

Browse Nearby Words

exacerbate
exacerbated
exacerbates
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Cite this Entry

“Exacerbated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exacerbated. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

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