as in to worsen
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 exacerbate
Repeated events such as these can degrade building materials and damage structures, further exacerbating the toll of the weakening ground below.
—
Li Cohen
may 8, CBS News, 8 May 2025
The Ecological Cost of Conventional Desalination While climate change threatens the freshwater resources humans rely on, the carbon footprint and other ecological impacts of conventional desalination methods exacerbate climate change and ecosystem loss.
—Erik Kobayashi-Solomon, Forbes.com, 8 May 2025
And, as cities grow, this problem may be further exacerbated.
—Stefanie Waldek, Space.com, 8 May 2025
The camp’s worsening conditions exacerbated Pilecki’s belief that the Allies had to either bomb the camp or take it by way of ground infantry.
—Paul Hockenos, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for exacerbate
Li Cohen
may 8, CBS News, 8 May 2025
The Ecological Cost of Conventional Desalination While climate change threatens the freshwater resources humans rely on, the carbon footprint and other ecological impacts of conventional desalination methods exacerbate climate change and ecosystem loss.
—Erik Kobayashi-Solomon, Forbes.com, 8 May 2025
And, as cities grow, this problem may be further exacerbated.
—Stefanie Waldek, Space.com, 8 May 2025
The camp’s worsening conditions exacerbated Pilecki’s belief that the Allies had to either bomb the camp or take it by way of ground infantry.
—Paul Hockenos, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for exacerbate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for exacerbate
Verb
-
What To Know According to the study published in Communications Earth & Environment, the states with the highest mortality rates from wildfire smoke worsened by climate change between 2006 and 2020 were in the West.—
Martha McHardy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 May 2025
-
Delays also worsened, with 78.1% of flights arriving on time last year, down from 78.3% in 2023.—
Alain Sherter,
CBS News,
15 May 2025
Verb
-
The temporary truce pulls the world's two largest economies back from the brink after trade between them nearly ground to a halt, raising recession risks in the U.S. and deepening deflationary pressures in China.—
Micah McCartney,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 May 2025
-
Much like the overbuilding in the real estate sector that triggered a crisis and erased much of Chinese household wealth, excessive industrial capacity has deepened imbalances in the economy and raised questions about the model’s sustainability, particularly if broader conditions worsen.—
Li Yuan,
New York Times,
13 May 2025
Verb
-
Eminem’s stalker was found guilty of first-degree home invasion and aggravated stalking after breaking into the rapper’s home outside of Detroit for a second time last summer, The Detroit News reports.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
9 May 2025
-
As a result, the clubs 12-26 start this season – 10 games off the pace of the front-running Chicago Cubs in the National League Central – aggravated the fan base.—
Dan Schlossberg,
Forbes.com,
8 May 2025
Verb
-
Since then, Israel has announced a plan to intensify its war on Gaza.—
Paul Elie,
New Yorker,
9 May 2025
-
At the same time, customer acquisition costs are climbing, lifetime value is shrinking and the competitive landscape is intensifying.—
Amit Jhawar,
Forbes.com,
9 May 2025
Verb
-
Finding the ideal sleeper sofa for your home can be complicated.—
Maggie Horton,
People.com,
20 May 2025
-
While their relationship is complicated, to say the least, Serena doesn't want to see June executed.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
20 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Exacerbate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exacerbate. Accessed 24 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share