exacerbate

[ ig-zas-er-beyt, ek-sas- ]

/ ɪgˈzæs ərˌbeɪt, ɛkˈsæs- /

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verb (used with object), ex·ac·er·bat·ed, ex·ac·er·bat·ing.

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

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

Nearby words

ex-works, ex., ex. doc., exa-, exabyte, exacerbate, exacerbation, exact, exact differential, exact science, exacta

Origin of exacerbate

1650–60; < Latin exacerbātus (past participle of exacerbāre to exasperate, provoke), equivalent to ex- ex-¹ + acerbātus acerbate

SYNONYMS FOR exacerbate

1 intensify, inflame, worsen.

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ANTONYMS FOR exacerbate

1 relieve, soothe, alleviate.

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Related formsex·ac·er·bat·ing·ly, adverbex·ac·er·ba·tion, nounun·ex·ac·er·bat·ed, adjectiveun·ex·ac·er·bat·ing, adjective

Can be confusedexacerbate exasperate

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for exacerbate

They wind up on the streets or in jail, environments that will exacerbate their problems.
Government Has Failed the Mentally Ill|Monica Potts|September 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They can exacerbate splits within a ruling leadership, foment popular unrest, or expedite a dwindling current account.
Why Aren’t Sanctions Stopping Putin?|Meghan L. O’Sullivan|May 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But instead of taking my edge off, all the wine did was exacerbate my starvation-induced headache.
We Were Gwyneth’s GOOP Guinea Pigs|Erin Cunningham, Olivia Nuzzi|March 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In this view, new programs—or greater funding for existing ones—would only exacerbate “dependency.”
Republicans to the Poor: “You Built That!"|Jamelle Bouie|January 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST

But as machines continue to displace humans in a range of fields, they may exacerbate our structural problems with jobs growth.
Robotic Technologies Could Aggravate the U.S. Problem of Slow Jobs Growth|Robert Shapiro|July 19, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Any foreign intervention serves only to exacerbate the situation by increasing the number and intensity of inter-ethnic grudges.
After the Rain|Sam Vaknin
To remove all things which may alarm, torment, or exacerbate?
Abridgment of the Debates of Congress, from 1789 to 1856, Vol. II (of 16)|Thomas Hart Benton
It's not for you, and you do but exacerbate the frightful pain there's been in feeling it with them.
This Freedom|A. S. M. Hutchinson

British Dictionary definitions for exacerbate

exacerbate

/ (ɪɡˈzæsəˌbeɪt, ɪkˈsæs-) /

verb (tr)

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

to exasperate or irritate (a person)

Derived Formsexacerbation, noun

Word Origin for exacerbate

C17: from Latin exacerbāre to irritate, from acerbus bitter

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for exacerbate

exacerbate

1650s, a back-formation from exacerbation or else from Latin exacerbatus, past participle of exacerbare (see exacerbation). Related: Exacerbated; exacerbating.

exacerbate

verb (used with object), ex·ac·er·bat·ed, ex·ac·er·bat·ing.

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Origin of exacerbate

Examples from the Web for exacerbate

British Dictionary definitions for exacerbate

exacerbate

verb (tr)

Word Origin for exacerbate

Word Origin and History for exacerbate

exacerbate