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 film begins with marital and financial stressors and exacerbates them with the influence of predatory external forces.
—
Alan Bradley, Space.com, 8 Nov. 2025
The fact that a cash-poor NASA is trying to juggle two human space flight programs—the station and moon-Mars—only exacerbates the funding problem.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 31 Oct. 2025
For the world’s poorest people, their biggest problems will continue to be poverty and disease, not warming temperatures per se (although warming clearly exacerbates both problems).
—Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 28 Oct. 2025
His loving, pragmatic wife, Mi-ri (Son Ye-jin), gamely downsizes their middle-class life to fit their new reality — but her resoluteness only exacerbates his despair.
—Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 10 Oct. 2025
The conversation focused on men's wellbeing in America, particularly mental health among young men and how social media exacerbates issues of identity and loneliness.
—Alyssa Goldberg, USA Today, 10 Oct. 2025
The Rockets' roster lacks guards and ball-handlers, especially when compared to other title contenders, and VanVleet's injury exacerbates the problem.
—Nelson Espinal, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Sep. 2025
The thinking among some academics and business leaders goes that requiring companies to disclose their finances every quarter, as the US has done since 1970, exacerbates Corporate America’s obsession with pleasing the stock market in the short term rather than focusing on long-term value creation.
—Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 16 Sep. 2025
The feeling of invisibility exacerbates results.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2025
Alan Bradley, Space.com, 8 Nov. 2025
The fact that a cash-poor NASA is trying to juggle two human space flight programs—the station and moon-Mars—only exacerbates the funding problem.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 31 Oct. 2025
For the world’s poorest people, their biggest problems will continue to be poverty and disease, not warming temperatures per se (although warming clearly exacerbates both problems).
—Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 28 Oct. 2025
His loving, pragmatic wife, Mi-ri (Son Ye-jin), gamely downsizes their middle-class life to fit their new reality — but her resoluteness only exacerbates his despair.
—Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 10 Oct. 2025
The conversation focused on men's wellbeing in America, particularly mental health among young men and how social media exacerbates issues of identity and loneliness.
—Alyssa Goldberg, USA Today, 10 Oct. 2025
The Rockets' roster lacks guards and ball-handlers, especially when compared to other title contenders, and VanVleet's injury exacerbates the problem.
—Nelson Espinal, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Sep. 2025
The thinking among some academics and business leaders goes that requiring companies to disclose their finances every quarter, as the US has done since 1970, exacerbates Corporate America’s obsession with pleasing the stock market in the short term rather than focusing on long-term value creation.
—Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 16 Sep. 2025
The feeling of invisibility exacerbates results.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for exacerbates
Verb
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Continue reading … FOOD FIGHT – McRib mystery deepens as McDonald's is sued over what's really inside.—
,
FOXNews.com,
7 Jan. 2026
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However, shares could surge as Uber deepens its foray into AV technology, offering an opportunity to improve its margins.—
Liz Napolitano,
CNBC,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Nathan tells him to get in the water in order to fix the hooks and ropes, but Max stands on the Jet Ski instead, which aggravates the bosun.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
6 Jan. 2026
-
Money could be at the heart of the power struggle when Mars aggravates Pluto.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Other data, however, complicates the picture.—
Jason Mastrodonato,
Mercury News,
6 Jan. 2026
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Sentimental Value, an emotionally layered film up for eight Golden Globes this weekend, complicates that perspective.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
5 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Sam slips back into her addiction and as her alcoholism worsens, so do the visions and apparitions that seem to be haunting the forest.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Jan. 2026
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As climate change worsens, more locations are going to become too hot for data centers.—
Devika Rao,
TheWeek,
5 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The Arctic competition intensifies as Russia boosts military presence and China declares itself a ‘near-Arctic state,’ making Greenland crucial for North American defense.—
Danica Kirka,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Jan. 2026
-
Two days later, Mars conjunct Pluto in your fourth house intensifies emotional undercurrents tied to family, home, or old survival patterns.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
5 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Exacerbates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exacerbates. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
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