exacerbate

American  

[ig-zas-er-beyt, ek-sas-] / ɪgˈzæs ərˌbeɪt, ɛkˈsæs- /

verb (used with object)

exacerbated, exacerbating

1. to increase the severity, bitterness, or violence of (disease, ill feeling, etc.); aggravate.

   Synonyms:

   worsen, inflame, intensify

   Antonyms:

   alleviate, soothe, relieve

2. to embitter the feelings of (a person); irritate; exasperate.

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exacerbate British  

/ ɪɡˈzæsəˌbeɪt, ɪkˈsæs- /

verb

1. to make (pain, disease, emotion, etc) more intense; aggravate

2. to exasperate or irritate (a person)

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Other Word Forms

• exacerbatingly
  adverb
• exacerbation
  noun
• unexacerbating
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of exacerbate

First recorded in 1650–60; from Latin exacerbātus (past participle of exacerbāre “to exasperate, provoke”), equivalent to ex- ex- ¹ + acerbātus acerbate

Compare meaning

How does exacerbate compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• exasperate vs. exacerbate

Explanation

For a formal-sounding verb that means to make worse, try exacerbate. If you're in trouble, complaining about it will only exacerbate the problem. Exacerbate is related to the adjective acrid, often used to describe sharp-smelling smoke. Think of exacerbate then as a sharp or bitter thing that makes something worse. A drought will exacerbate a country's food shortage. Worsen, intensify, aggravate and compound are similar, but exacerbate has the sense of an irritant being added in to make something bad even worse.

Example Sentences

An18-day strike could further exacerbate tight memory supply, Wedbush analyst Matt Bryson wrote in a note on Monday.

From MarketWatch • May 20, 2026

Soto-Martínez believes in housing and services first — addressing the issues that often exacerbate homelessness, such as mental illness, drug addiction and domestic violence, while also keeping people housed.

From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026

Professor McDonald said although revising the NAP regulations posed "a challenge" for the Daera minister and the executive, failure to do so would only exacerbate the challenges faced by the next generation of farmers.

From BBC • Apr. 30, 2026

The airline warned in late March that higher fuel costs would exacerbate its adjusted first-quarter loss by 70 cents a share at minimum.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026

Zeitoun knew not to exacerbate the situation, and assumed that when they were interviewed by a superior, everything would be explained.

From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers

Related Words

• aggravate
• annoy
• heighten
• inflame
• intensify
• irritate
• provoke
• worsen