exacerbate

/ɪɡˈzæsərbeɪt/ formal

Say it: ig-ZAS-er-bayt

verb To make a problem, bad situation, or negative feeling worse.
His refusal to apologize only served to exacerbate the tension in the room.

📖 Seen in the wild

The new policy will only exacerbate the existing social inequalities.
collected by @vocablast

✏️ exacerbate in a sentence

The drought is expected to exacerbate the region's food shortage crisis.
Her critical comments about the project's progress seemed to exacerbate his anxiety.
Lack of sleep can exacerbate the symptoms of many chronic illnesses.
The proposed budget cuts will likely exacerbate inequality in public education.
Instead of helping, his interference only exacerbated the delicate diplomatic situation.
The heavy traffic on the way to the airport exacerbated their stress about catching the flight.
Adding more salt to the dish will exacerbate the problem; it's already too salty.

🔁 Synonyms & antonyms

aggravate worsen compound inflame intensify heighten magnify

aggravate · often used for situations or injuries, and can also mean 'to annoy' in informal contexts, which exacerbate does not.

worsen · a more neutral and common term; exacerbate is more intense and formal.

compound · suggests adding a new negative element to an existing problem.

inflame · implies making something more intense or angry, like a conflict or passion.

Opposites: alleviate, soothe, mitigate, ameliorate, improve

🌱 Where it comes from

The word comes from the Latin verb 'exacerbare', meaning 'to irritate' or 'to provoke'. This itself is built from 'ex-', meaning 'thoroughly', and 'acerbus', meaning 'harsh' or 'bitter', giving it the literal sense of making something thoroughly bitter or harsh.

🧩 How it's used

Common patterns:

exacerbate a problemexacerbate the situationexacerbate tensionsexacerbate symptomsexacerbate an injuryexacerbate a conflict

Exacerbate is a formal word used to describe making a negative thing even worse; it always has a negative connotation. A common mistake is to confuse it with 'exasperate', which means to intensely irritate or infuriate a person. You exacerbate a situation, but you exasperate a person.

Word family: exacerbation

💬 Quick answers

What does 'exacerbate' mean in simple terms?

It simply means to make a bad situation, problem, or feeling even worse.

What is the difference between 'exacerbate' and 'exasperate'?

Exacerbate means to worsen a situation or condition. Exasperate means to intensely annoy or frustrate a person. Remember: situations are exacerbated, people are exasperated.

Is 'exacerbate' a formal word?

Yes, 'exacerbate' is a formal word. In casual conversation, you might use a simpler phrase like 'make worse' or 'worsen' instead.

Can you exacerbate a good thing?

No, 'exacerbate' is only used for negative things like problems, conflicts, or symptoms. You cannot exacerbate happiness or success.

1 word nerd collected it V

Want "exacerbate" to actually stick?

Save it to your own vault, let AI explain it, practice till it's yours.

Start for free →