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 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 overemphatic score by Tommy Reilly and Roddy Hart only exacerbates this tendency to overstate.
—Stephen Farber, HollywoodReporter, 15 Sep. 2025
The feeling of invisibility exacerbates results.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2025
Registered psychologists Tammy Schamuhn and Tania Johnson, who co-founded The Institute of Child Psychology, argued that homework after school only exacerbates the problem.
—Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 3 Sep. 2025
Aside from a changing climate, water managers say the inability to store water in upstream reservoirs due to compact obligations exacerbates the problem.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 30 Aug. 2025
The tension between the two groups further exacerbates when Eloise Bosquet de Wagner Wehrhorn (Ana de Armas), who calls herself the Baroness, arrives with her two lovers, determined to build a resort on the island.
—Itzel Luna, Boston Herald, 22 Aug. 2025
Having the donor registry numbers decrease only exacerbates the critical organ shortage which already results in the death of 13 people on the transplant waiting list every day.
—James F. Markmann, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Aug. 2025
This exacerbates rainfall conditions, particularly in Pakistan, which is flanked by melting glaciers and snow on its east and the warming Arabian Sea to its south.
—Mithil Aggarwal, NBC news, 21 Aug. 2025
Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 16 Sep. 2025
The overemphatic score by Tommy Reilly and Roddy Hart only exacerbates this tendency to overstate.
—Stephen Farber, HollywoodReporter, 15 Sep. 2025
The feeling of invisibility exacerbates results.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2025
Registered psychologists Tammy Schamuhn and Tania Johnson, who co-founded The Institute of Child Psychology, argued that homework after school only exacerbates the problem.
—Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 3 Sep. 2025
Aside from a changing climate, water managers say the inability to store water in upstream reservoirs due to compact obligations exacerbates the problem.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 30 Aug. 2025
The tension between the two groups further exacerbates when Eloise Bosquet de Wagner Wehrhorn (Ana de Armas), who calls herself the Baroness, arrives with her two lovers, determined to build a resort on the island.
—Itzel Luna, Boston Herald, 22 Aug. 2025
Having the donor registry numbers decrease only exacerbates the critical organ shortage which already results in the death of 13 people on the transplant waiting list every day.
—James F. Markmann, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Aug. 2025
This exacerbates rainfall conditions, particularly in Pakistan, which is flanked by melting glaciers and snow on its east and the warming Arabian Sea to its south.
—Mithil Aggarwal, NBC news, 21 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for exacerbates
Verb
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Yet Harjo deepens his conflict, between the personal and the communal, with every episode.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
23 Sep. 2025
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Toki Black keeps that Hakushu malt core and the Yamazaki sherry cask influence, but deepens the recipe.—
Gina Pace,
Forbes.com,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
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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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So that complicates the results, with critics claiming the plastic particles ultimately detected are just clinging to the surface like glitter on a party guest?—
Pranjal Malewar,
New Atlas,
19 Sep. 2025
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Observers say endorsements from prominent leaders often translate into practical campaign support, but Mamdani's polling lead in recent surveys complicates the calculus for hesitant officials.—
Anna Commander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Usually starting in a person's early to mid-40s, presbyopia typically worsens until age 65, according to the American Optometric Association.—
Janet Loehrke,
USA Today,
23 Sep. 2025
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During Bilbao’s Semana Grande, Jone lives her first love with Olga, as her father’s Parkinson’s illness worsens.—
Callum McLennan,
Variety,
22 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Among those who are allergic, adults are generally considered at higher risk of a potentially life-threatening reaction, because the allergy intensifies the more times the person has been stung throughout their life.—
Mitchell Willetts,
Kansas City Star,
17 Sep. 2025
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Venus outshines the star by a factor of 120 to 1, and yet their proximity for several mornings intensifies the contrasting yellow-white of the planet and bluish white of the star.—
Joe Rao,
Space.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Exacerbates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exacerbates. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.
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