as in deepens
to make more severe
a misconceived plan that only exacerbated the city's traffic problem
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Recent Examples of exacerbates
The current scale of fossil-fuel burning is also disrupting entire Earth-system functions, which in turn drives fuel demand (as people try to stay warm or cool) and exacerbates the kind of extreme weather that can destroy communities and transform ecosystems.
—
Meera Subramanian, The Atlantic, 10 Mar. 2026
Canning industry collapse exacerbates market stress Argentine pears put the squeeze on local fresh market opportunities.
—Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 23 Feb. 2026
But while the school funding system fights inequities, the pension funding structure exacerbates them.
—John Cullerton, Chicago Tribune, 6 Feb. 2026
The energy to make and ship the artificial snow also exacerbates the carbon footprint of the competitions that require snow, the climate experts said.
—Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 4 Feb. 2026
But climate change is also becoming an unignorable concern in garment-producing regions as extreme weather exacerbates heat stress in factories and fuels humanitarian crises such as flooding and drought.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 2 Feb. 2026
One approach to addressing casualty risks is to design spacecraft to demise entirely, but this exacerbates the atmosphere pollution problem, said Boley.
—Leonard David, Space.com, 31 Jan. 2026
The rapid growth and use of AI tools, coupled with the lack of regulation, supercharges mis- and disinformation and greatly impacts efforts to address all these threats and exacerbates every other impending disaster, Holz said.
—Kristen Rogers, CNN Money, 27 Jan. 2026
When a community and its people fail to uphold this value, as the Satmar community and Weberman continue to do, that failure becomes a secondary betrayal of survivors that deepens and exacerbates their original trauma.
—Guila Benchimol, New York Daily News, 26 Jan. 2026
Meera Subramanian, The Atlantic, 10 Mar. 2026
Canning industry collapse exacerbates market stress Argentine pears put the squeeze on local fresh market opportunities.
—Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 23 Feb. 2026
But while the school funding system fights inequities, the pension funding structure exacerbates them.
—John Cullerton, Chicago Tribune, 6 Feb. 2026
The energy to make and ship the artificial snow also exacerbates the carbon footprint of the competitions that require snow, the climate experts said.
—Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 4 Feb. 2026
But climate change is also becoming an unignorable concern in garment-producing regions as extreme weather exacerbates heat stress in factories and fuels humanitarian crises such as flooding and drought.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 2 Feb. 2026
One approach to addressing casualty risks is to design spacecraft to demise entirely, but this exacerbates the atmosphere pollution problem, said Boley.
—Leonard David, Space.com, 31 Jan. 2026
The rapid growth and use of AI tools, coupled with the lack of regulation, supercharges mis- and disinformation and greatly impacts efforts to address all these threats and exacerbates every other impending disaster, Holz said.
—Kristen Rogers, CNN Money, 27 Jan. 2026
When a community and its people fail to uphold this value, as the Satmar community and Weberman continue to do, that failure becomes a secondary betrayal of survivors that deepens and exacerbates their original trauma.
—Guila Benchimol, New York Daily News, 26 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for exacerbates
Verb
-
Each year without the dead only deepens the furrow of their absence.—
Sasha Geffen,
Pitchfork,
10 Mar. 2026
-
As capabilities improve and adoption deepens, the researchers write, the red will grow to fill the blue.—
Jake Angelo,
Fortune,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Smoke from wildfires penetrates deep into the lungs and aggravates respiratory disease more than any other type of pollution.—
Becky Upham,
EverydayHealth.com,
4 Mar. 2026
-
In the extreme off-chance that Darnold doesn’t play or aggravates the injury, the Seahawks would call upon Drew Lock, who has just three regular season passing attempts on the year.—
Chris Biderman,
Sacbee.com,
16 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Musk merger complicates SpaceX IPO watch now Choose CNBC as your preferred source on Google and never miss a moment from the most trusted name in business news.—
Lora Kolodny,
CNBC,
10 Mar. 2026
-
And as with Sir Ma’am, her transformation complicates The Beauty’s established world-building.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
While drought impacts water utilities in the Western states more directly, saltwater from coastal flooding worsens groundwater quality, and extreme cold can wear on pipes.—
Charlotte Slovin,
ABC News,
25 Feb. 2026
-
The presenters discussed how periodontitis, a severe form of gum disease that worsens with age, affects the bone and tissues supporting the teeth.—
Angelica Stabile,
FOXNews.com,
21 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Belarus now imprisons 28 journalists as President Lukashenko intensifies a crackdown on press freedom.—
Yuras Karmanau,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Ogles' comments, made on the first day of House Republicans' annual week-long policy retreat in Doral, Florida, also came as the war in Iran rapidly intensifies.—
Zachary Schermele,
USA Today,
9 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Exacerbates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exacerbates. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.
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