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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The film follows poets Andrea Gibson and Megan Falley as their love deepens, and the couple finds newfound appreciation for the preciousness of life after a terminal illness diagnosis.—
Addie Morfoot,
Variety,
5 Nov. 2025
-
So the Barbra connection deepens and deepens.—
Joe Lynch,
Billboard,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Money could be at the heart of the power struggle when Mars aggravates Pluto.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
24 Sep. 2025
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The minuscule particles can lead to breathing problems like bronchitis and cause inflammation that aggravates diabetes, heart disease and other health conditions.—
Mary Gilbert,
CNN Money,
5 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The National Turkey Federation estimated last year that up to 80% of turkey flocks were infected with AMPV, which complicates the situation with the surge in bird flu.—
Cara Lynn Shultz,
PEOPLE,
8 Nov. 2025
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But Stearn, who serves on the patient advisory council for Johns Hopkins Medicine, says the loss of telehealth services complicates life for almost everyone – from the working person to Stearn's own 90-year-old mother, who hates traveling to and from the doctor.—
Yuki Noguchi,
NPR,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Sixteen million people risk losing all food assistance even as global hunger worsens.—
ARIF HUSAIN,
Foreign Affairs,
11 Nov. 2025
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Others may find that dairy worsens their symptoms, possibly due to its high fat content.—
Merve Ceylan,
Health,
9 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Unfortunately for the squeamish 12-year-old me, the lifelike fluidity intensifies the story’s body-horror elements.—
The Atlantic Culture Desk,
The Atlantic,
29 Oct. 2025
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The danger intensifies when storm surge coincides with high tide, rapidly elevating water levels and increasing the risk of widespread flooding.—
Hannah Parry,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Exacerbates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exacerbates. Accessed 30 Nov. 2025.
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