as in deepens
to make more severe
a misconceived plan that only exacerbated the city's traffic problem
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 exacerbates
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
This geopolitical friction exacerbates economic vulnerabilities, particularly regarding supply chains.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 23 Jan. 2026
Doctors live in constant fear of missing a critical detail buried on page 400 of a messy digital file, which further exacerbates burnout.
—Eve Cunningham, Forbes.com, 7 Jan. 2026
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
This geopolitical friction exacerbates economic vulnerabilities, particularly regarding supply chains.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 23 Jan. 2026
Doctors live in constant fear of missing a critical detail buried on page 400 of a messy digital file, which further exacerbates burnout.
—Eve Cunningham, Forbes.com, 7 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for exacerbates
Verb
-
This, in turn, deepens the impression of Downtown as a dangerous place.—
Emily Galvin Almanza,
Literary Hub,
18 Feb. 2026
-
Set during the Second Intifada, the shows how the two kids form a bond that deepens under the guidance of Dan, a 30-year-old former surf champion who becomes their mentor.—
Elsa Keslassy,
Variety,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
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
Verb
-
But Daylight Saving Time complicates that.—
Juwayriah Wright,
Time,
17 Feb. 2026
-
Abbington plays Eve, a sharp-witted, slightly off-kilter actress whose obsession with the case pulls her into the investigative orbit and complicates the group dynamic.—
Emiliano de Pablos,
Variety,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Doctors monitor progression and severity of the disease by measuring the size of the left ventricle, the heart’s muscle that pumps blood to the body, which shrinks as the condition worsens.—
Helen Carefoot,
Flow Space,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Software stock slide worsens on AI fears US software stocks sank further Tuesday on swelling investor fears that new AI tools will eat their lunch.—
Alexander Onukwue,
semafor.com,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Driving a backup car after crashing in the Duels intensifies Byron’s challenge to three-peat.—
Edgar Thompson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
14 Feb. 2026
-
Nigerian energy companies have ramped up oil production over the past year as the government intensifies its efforts to restart dormant refineries and monetize untapped gas reserves.—
Alexander Onukwue,
semafor.com,
9 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Exacerbates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exacerbates. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
