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
If the swelling in your lungs exacerbates, however, a dangerous condition called high-altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) can occur.
—
Brad Stulberg, Outside, 26 Mar. 2026
This comes as local officials across Massachusetts hold challenging conversations around potential budget cuts, as diminishing state aid exacerbates growing municipal costs.
—Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 18 Mar. 2026
Swinging and missing exacerbates the pain in Rodriguez’s hand, Schlossnagle said.
—David Eckert, Austin American Statesman, 14 Mar. 2026
That spiral exacerbates the affordability crisis.
—Christopher Greenwood, Chicago Tribune, 13 Mar. 2026
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
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
Brad Stulberg, Outside, 26 Mar. 2026
This comes as local officials across Massachusetts hold challenging conversations around potential budget cuts, as diminishing state aid exacerbates growing municipal costs.
—Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 18 Mar. 2026
Swinging and missing exacerbates the pain in Rodriguez’s hand, Schlossnagle said.
—David Eckert, Austin American Statesman, 14 Mar. 2026
That spiral exacerbates the affordability crisis.
—Christopher Greenwood, Chicago Tribune, 13 Mar. 2026
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for exacerbates
Verb
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For the Fed, the report deepens the potential stagflation bind.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Zelenskyy’s remarks come as Ukraine deepens its role in the region, sharing intelligence and defense expertise with Middle Eastern partners facing Iranian missile and drone strikes.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
31 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
-
Climate change complicates forecasting All this is playing out against the backdrop of climate change, which is shortening winters and turning up the heat.—
Shi En Kim,
AZCentral.com,
31 Mar. 2026
-
That last part complicates things, because if the question is greatest Boston athletes then Clemens becomes tougher to include considering his late-career heel turn.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Distress could spread to countries beyond the Gulf if dire conditions prompt residents to flee across borders and infrastructure damage worsens a global oil shock, analysts said.—
Max Zahn,
ABC News,
27 Mar. 2026
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In this case, your sweat is wasted and actually worsens the situation by failing to cool your body and contributing to dehydration.—
Brad Stulberg,
Outside,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Researchers have long recognized that climate change intensifies heat waves.—
Evan Bush,
NBC news,
28 Mar. 2026
-
Chronic low back or sciatic pain that intensifies monthly may be treated as a musculoskeletal problem.—
Sarah Berg,
STAT,
26 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Exacerbates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exacerbates. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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