escalation
CulturalExplanation
An escalation is an increase or growth. When there's an escalation in tension between two countries, it means that things have become much more strained between them. An escalation in Christmas tree prices means that your holiday decor will be more expensive this year, and an escalation of violence in a particular country will probably keep you from traveling there until things calm down. When something gets bigger or more intense, there's an escalation. The word comes from the verb escalate, which in turn is a back-formation from escalator. The Latin root of all three words is scala, or "ladder."
Vocabulary lists containing escalation
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for August 7–August 13, 2021
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In Scotland, health boards are subject to the "NHS Board Performance Escalation Framework" which ranks from one to five, with five being the worst, and it relates to specific problem areas.
From BBC • Mar. 5, 2024
Escalation of the conflict is a tangible threat.
From Seattle Times • Oct. 30, 2023
Escalation occurs not because we've done too much, it's because we've done too little.
From Salon • Aug. 9, 2022
"Escalation is a likely scenario, but not inevitable, and our task is to prevent it," Reznikov said.
From Reuters • Dec. 3, 2021
I urge this even though his secrecy is, clearly, Needless Escalation No. 1.
From Washington Post • Jul. 2, 2021
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
