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exacerbate

verb
ex·​ac·​er·​bate | \ ig-ˈza-sər-ˌbāt How to pronounce exacerbate (audio) \
exacerbated; exacerbating

Definition of exacerbate

transitive verb

: to make more violent, bitter, or severe The new law only exacerbates the problem.
Other Words from exacerbate Synonyms & Antonyms Exacerbate vs. Exasperate Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about exacerbate

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Other Words from exacerbate

exacerbation \ ig-​ˌza-​sər-​ˈbā-​shən How to pronounce exacerbation (audio) \ noun

Synonyms & Antonyms for exacerbate

Synonyms

aggravate, complicate, worsen

Antonyms

allay, alleviate, assuage, ease, help, mitigate, relieve

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Exacerbate vs. Exasperate

Exacerbate is frequently confused with exasperate, and with good reason. Not only do these words resemble one another in spelling and pronunciation, they also at one time held exceedingly similar meanings. Exasperate is today most commonly used as a synonym of annoy, but for several hundred years it also had the meanings “to make more grievous” and “to make harsh or harsher.” Exacerbate is now the more common choice of these two words when one seeks to indicate that something is becoming increasingly bitter, violent, or unpleasant. It comes in part from the Latin word acer, meaning “sharp,” whereas exasperate is from asper, the Latin word for “rough.”

Did You Know?

Make it a point to know that the Latin adjective acer, meaning "sharp," forms the basis of a number of words that have come into English. The words acerbic ("having a bitter temper or sour mood"), acrid ("having a sharp taste or odor"), and acrimony ("a harsh manner or disposition") are just the tip of the iceberg. First appearing in English in the 17th century, exacerbate derives from the Latin prefix ex-, which means "out of" or "outside," and acerbus, which means "harsh" or "bitter" and comes from acer. Just as pouring salt in a wound worsens pain, things that exacerbate can cause a situation to go from bad to worse. A pointed insult, for example, might exacerbate tensions between two rivals.

Examples of exacerbate in a Sentence

The declining retirement security faced by growing numbers of Americans is being exacerbated by increasing longevity and quickly rising health care costs. — Jeff Madrick, New York Review of Books, 20 Mar. 2008 … the sway that pack journalism holds on the Beltway press corps persists. The Crowd is never so influential as in the ever-lengthening season of presidential campaigns. The feverish obsessions of the blogosphere have only exacerbated the phenomenon: Now the herd just turns faster in pursuit of some ginned-up "controversy" or faux scandal. — Editor & Publisher, April 2007 The proposed factory shutdown would only exacerbate our unemployment problems. His angry comments have exacerbated tensions in the negotiation process.
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Recent Examples on the Web

 As with Hurricane Harvey in 2017, Dorian’s eyewall stalled out for hours yesterday, exacerbating wind damage and severe flooding in the Bahamas. — Thomas Frank, Scientific American, "Dorian Drives Home Warnings of Climate Influence on Hurricanes," 3 Sep. 2019 The results highlight a deep division between what was once East Germany and the rest of the country, which the AfD both tapped into and exacerbated during the campaign. — Katrin Bennhold, New York Times, "German Far Right Makes Election Gains, but Falls Short of Victory," 1 Sep. 2019 Still, with unemployment low and restaurants struggling, the apps seem poised to grow, potentially exacerbating the shortage of full-time employees. — Matthew Sedacca, BostonGlobe.com, "Cooking eggs in the a.m., shucking oysters in the p.m. — apps help staff restaurants," 1 Sep. 2019 Wenxin Du of the University of Chicago suggested that the premium could also reflect limits on global banks’ ability to lend in dollars, and that tighter Fed policy could exacerbate those constraints. — The Economist, "A meeting of economists and central bankers was overshadowed by President Donald Trump," 29 Aug. 2019 Since malnutrition exacerbates diseases and prevents healing, seniors without steady, nutritious food can wind up in hospitals, which drives up Medicare and Medicaid costs, hitting taxpayers with an even bigger bill. — Laura Ungar & Trudy Lieberman / Kaiser Health News, Time, "Why America Is Failing To Feed Its Aging," 28 Aug. 2019 On the flip side, having SCAD can bring about or exacerbate these conditions in the recovery period. — Natasha Lavender, SELF, "Meet SCAD, a Major Cause of Heart Attacks in Women 50 and Under," 22 Aug. 2019 Maintaining the current state of affairs—or, as President Trump and his Cabinet seem intent on doing, exacerbating the crisis—would be catastrophic. — Brian Goldstone, The New Republic, "The New American Homeless," 21 Aug. 2019 Council members and residents who support the move say office buildings would only exacerbate the region’s housing crisis by bringing in new workers without the homes to accommodate them. — Thy Vo, The Mercury News, "No offices at Vallco site if development plan goes down, Cupertino decides," 21 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'exacerbate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of exacerbate

1660, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for exacerbate

borrowed from Latin exacerbātus, past participle of exacerbāre "to irritate, exasperate, make worse," from ex- ex- entry 1 + acerbāre "to make bitter, make worse," verbal derivative of acerbus "acid, bitter, bitterly hostile, distressing" — more at acerb

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More Definitions for exacerbate

exacerbate

verb
How to pronounce exacerbate (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of exacerbate

: to make (a bad situation, a problem, etc.) worse

See the full definition for exacerbate in the English Language Learners Dictionary

exacerbate

transitive verb
ex·​ac·​er·​bate | \ ig-ˈzas-ər-ˌbāt How to pronounce exacerbate (audio) \
exacerbated; exacerbating

Medical Definition of exacerbate

: to cause (a disease or its symptoms) to become more severe her condition was exacerbated by lack of care

Other Words from exacerbate

exacerbation \ -​ˌzas-​ər-​ˈbā-​shən How to pronounce exacerbation (audio) \ noun

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