exacerbate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
exacerbates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
exacerbated,
past participle, past
-
exacerbating
present participle
verb
-
to make (pain, disease, emotion, etc) more intense; aggravate
-
to exasperate or irritate (a person)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
exacerbatesimple
-
exacerbatessimple
-
have exacerbatedperfect
-
has exacerbatedperfect
-
am exacerbatingprogressive
-
are exacerbatingprogressive
-
is exacerbatingprogressive
-
have been exacerbatingperfect progressive
-
has been exacerbatingperfect progressive
Past
-
exacerbatedsimple
-
had exacerbatedperfect
-
was exacerbatingprogressive
-
were exacerbatingprogressive
-
had been exacerbatingperfect progressive
Future
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:
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.
Vocabulary lists containing exacerbate
Grade 9, List 1
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
300 Most Difficult "SAT" Words
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Essential Academic Vocabulary for High School Students, List 2
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
Sustained economic pressure will exacerbate inflation, capital flight and the banking crisis in Iran.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
Climate change is expected to bring drier and hotter summers which could further exacerbate this issue.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
In addition to causing death and illness directly, extreme heat can exacerbate heart, lung and kidney disease, as well as mental health problems, he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026
Known as "fire clouds" or pyrocumulonimbus clouds, these ominous-looking thunderstorms are created by extreme wildfires and can exacerbate already extremely dangerous conditions.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 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
“If you’ve been out in the area, you know that there’s still a persistent smell. With the heat wave, it exacerbates things,” LoBianco said during the meeting.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
This exacerbates anti-competitive dynamics in industries with large or dominant players, and places acute pressure on small companies across the economy.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 3, 2026
He agrees that tech should help to “relieve humans of arduous, repetitive or dangerous tasks” and “provide intelligent support,” but also warns of growing A.I.-induced inequality, which exacerbates poverty and forced migration.
From Slate ● May 28, 2026
There are many examples of match officials being placed in harmful situations but with individuals fearful of speaking out lest it exacerbates the situation or causes further alarm to friends, family and colleagues.
From BBC ● May 15, 2026
I’m frightened, but I’m not sure what I’m afraid of, which just exacerbates the fear.
From "The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins
The nine-day downpour, exacerbated by tropical storms, was equivalent to more than a month's worth of rain in some areas.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
The rains, exacerbated by tropical storms, have led to school and government office closures across the main island of Luzon and flooding in the streets of Manila.
From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026
The drought has exacerbated Puerto Rico’s failing infrastructure, which has long suffered from frequent power and water outages.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
Global oil profits can in large part be tied to refining, since refinery closures due to attacks and crude oil shortages have exacerbated the fuel scarcity, said Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Brett Gibbs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
Fierce winters helped drive the Vikings from Greenland and led to bad harvests that exacerbated social tensions in continental Europe, but few would claim that the little ice age caused the Reformation.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
"Abdominal obesity reduces circulating vitamin D, and that deficiency impairs the immune system, exacerbating the chronic inflammation caused by excess fat and drastically increasing the risk of mortality," Alexandre explains to Agência FAPESP.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 14, 2026
But Federico suggests that avoidance may actually do the most harm in exacerbating trauma symptoms.
From Slate ● Aug. 10, 2026
Ferguson declared a state of emergency on August 1, citing drought conditions that have stretched four consecutive years, unusually high temperatures and high winds exacerbating record-setting wildfires.
From Barron's ● Aug. 3, 2026
Aschenbrenner party blamed short sellers who targeted the firm’s positions for exacerbating the fund’s losses, the letter said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
A single CFC molecule is about ten thousand times more efficient at exacerbating greenhouse effects than a molecule of carbon dioxide–and carbon dioxide is of course no slouch itself as a greenhouse gas.
From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson
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.
