as in aggravated
to make more severe
a misconceived plan that only exacerbated the city's traffic problem
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Recent Examples of exacerbated
As a stand-alone hospital, Tri-City, like Palomar to the east, has struggled with budget problems, which have been exacerbated by inflationary pressure on supply and labor costs.
—
Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 June 2026
Her feeling was exacerbated by the death of her father in 1991, and as well as one of her friends, who passed suddenly from cancer.
—Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 2 June 2026
The federal government and the city’s creditors had demanded budget cuts, which in turn exacerbated the already squalid conditions around the city.
—Kevin Lozano, Harpers Magazine, 2 June 2026
Nationally, the crisis has often felt insurmountable, frequently exacerbated by porous borders and passive, hands-off approaches to addiction in many states.
—John Koufos, Sun Sentinel, 2 June 2026
The problem was exacerbated when WellStar closed two area hospitals in 2022.
—Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 2 June 2026
Moscow launched the onslaught against threats of heightened aggression, citing a wave of Ukrainian near-daily attacks on Russian oil assets that tanked fuel stocks and exacerbated economic woes.
—Helen Regan, CNN Money, 2 June 2026
None of this, however, solves any upcoming starting pitching issues, which are exacerbated by the team’s desire to limit Connor Prielipp’s workload and Matthews’ struggles in his past two outings.
—Dan Hayes, New York Times, 2 June 2026
That said, many others are concerned about unemployment being exacerbated by robots taking jobs.
—John Koetsier, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026
Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 June 2026
Her feeling was exacerbated by the death of her father in 1991, and as well as one of her friends, who passed suddenly from cancer.
—Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 2 June 2026
The federal government and the city’s creditors had demanded budget cuts, which in turn exacerbated the already squalid conditions around the city.
—Kevin Lozano, Harpers Magazine, 2 June 2026
Nationally, the crisis has often felt insurmountable, frequently exacerbated by porous borders and passive, hands-off approaches to addiction in many states.
—John Koufos, Sun Sentinel, 2 June 2026
The problem was exacerbated when WellStar closed two area hospitals in 2022.
—Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 2 June 2026
Moscow launched the onslaught against threats of heightened aggression, citing a wave of Ukrainian near-daily attacks on Russian oil assets that tanked fuel stocks and exacerbated economic woes.
—Helen Regan, CNN Money, 2 June 2026
None of this, however, solves any upcoming starting pitching issues, which are exacerbated by the team’s desire to limit Connor Prielipp’s workload and Matthews’ struggles in his past two outings.
—Dan Hayes, New York Times, 2 June 2026
That said, many others are concerned about unemployment being exacerbated by robots taking jobs.
—John Koetsier, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for exacerbated
Verb
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She was ultimately convicted on all 12 counts stemming from their deaths, including murder, aggravated vehicular homicide, and drug possession.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
1 June 2026
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Rafaela aggravated his back on a diving catch during the homestand last week and Contreras hyperextended his elbow on a swing over the weekend.—
Jen McCaffrey,
New York Times,
1 June 2026
Verb
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Global economic outlook worsens over Iran war The US and Iran appeared still willing to reach a peace deal despite American strikes and Tehran’s threats of reprisals — but the global economic fallout from the conflict deepened.—
semafor.com,
semafor.com,
29 May 2026
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Tensions deepened Thursday in Lebanon as Israel conducted an airstrike on a southern suburb of the capital, Beirut, and other strikes in the southern coastal city of Tyre.—
Matthew Lee,
Chicago Tribune,
28 May 2026
Verb
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The Covid pandemic worsened its financial troubles.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
4 June 2026
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Two worsened too quickly and the hospital lacked supply for the others, the researchers reported.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
3 June 2026
Verb
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Clashes intensified this weekend as police with riot shields and officers on horseback pushed back demonstrators, some of whom tore down barricades, hurled objects and set tires ablaze outside the 1,000-bed facility.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
31 May 2026
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At the same time, recovery from the Palisades and Eaton fires, which destroyed more than 16,000 structures, has further intensified frustrations around rebuilding, insurance costs and the city government’s response to crises.—
Samantha Delouya,
CNN Money,
31 May 2026
Verb
-
But then things got complicated.—
Scott M. Reid,
Oc Register,
30 May 2026
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Every state already has laws on the books for such record-clearing, but the process is complicated and requires people to navigate a knotty legal system.—
Eric Levenson,
CNN Money,
30 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Exacerbated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exacerbated. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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