as in worsening
to make more severe
a misconceived plan that only exacerbated the city's traffic problem
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Recent Examples of exacerbating
While fans, air conditioners, and cooling pajamas can help keep night sweats at bay, stuffy bedding may be exacerbating the problem.
—
Maggie Horton, PEOPLE, 22 Sep. 2025
The book, some Democrats say, is exacerbating the tension that has been plaguing Democrats.
—Amie Parnes, The Hill, 22 Sep. 2025
An Essay on the Principles of Population was his attempt to ascertain where some of those limits might lie, so that policy could respond to social problems effectively, rather than exacerbating them by trying to achieve the impossible.
—Roy Scranton, JSTOR Daily, 18 Sep. 2025
Further exacerbating this shortage is the fact that the vast majority of California’s new homes are built far away from the coast, even though coastal cities are where the majority of the state’s jobs are located.
—Stan Oklobdzija, Mercury News, 16 Sep. 2025
As a result, five controllers took 45-day government trauma leave, exacerbating staffing shortages.
—Aaron Cooper, CNN Money, 16 Sep. 2025
The network originated as an effort to accelerate the collapse of modern society by exacerbating social tensions and dividing society through violence, and has roots in white supremacy and fascism, Kriner said.
—Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 12 Sep. 2025
And the exacerbating factor was Nestor picked the Gophers’ bitter rival.
—Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 10 Sep. 2025
The disaster comes as Sudan's war is exacerbating its humanitarian crisis.
—Robert Birsel
john Feng, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Sep. 2025
Maggie Horton, PEOPLE, 22 Sep. 2025
The book, some Democrats say, is exacerbating the tension that has been plaguing Democrats.
—Amie Parnes, The Hill, 22 Sep. 2025
An Essay on the Principles of Population was his attempt to ascertain where some of those limits might lie, so that policy could respond to social problems effectively, rather than exacerbating them by trying to achieve the impossible.
—Roy Scranton, JSTOR Daily, 18 Sep. 2025
Further exacerbating this shortage is the fact that the vast majority of California’s new homes are built far away from the coast, even though coastal cities are where the majority of the state’s jobs are located.
—Stan Oklobdzija, Mercury News, 16 Sep. 2025
As a result, five controllers took 45-day government trauma leave, exacerbating staffing shortages.
—Aaron Cooper, CNN Money, 16 Sep. 2025
The network originated as an effort to accelerate the collapse of modern society by exacerbating social tensions and dividing society through violence, and has roots in white supremacy and fascism, Kriner said.
—Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 12 Sep. 2025
And the exacerbating factor was Nestor picked the Gophers’ bitter rival.
—Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 10 Sep. 2025
The disaster comes as Sudan's war is exacerbating its humanitarian crisis.
—Robert Birsel
john Feng, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for exacerbating
Verb
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More storms moved into the region Saturday, worsening already dangerous conditions.—
Aliss Higham,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Sep. 2025
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That means worsening conditions could be felt in the next 48 hours.—
Alex Harris
Updated September 27,
Miami Herald,
27 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Street concerts and underground gatherings offer a rare hint of hope for the many young Russians who have grown disheartened by Moscow’s prolonged war and deepening repression.—
Anna Nemtsova,
The Atlantic,
30 Sep. 2025
-
Duties include building a successful practice of deepening client relationships, along with advising clients on brokerage activity.—
Brayden Garcia,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The shutdown could also delay the release of key economic data, further complicating policymakers’ decision making.—
semafor.com,
semafor.com,
30 Sep. 2025
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Also complicating the groundwork was the discovery of Native American artifacts on the property, Corn said.—
Phil Diehl,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Exacerbating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exacerbating. Accessed 4 Oct. 2025.
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