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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.

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RELATED WORDS

annoy, aggravate, worsen, heighten, irritate, inflame, provoke, intensify, increase, embitter, exasperate, envenom, excite, madden, vex, enrage

Nearby words

  1. ex-works,
  2. ex.,
  3. ex. doc.,
  4. exa-,
  5. exabyte,
  6. exacerbation,
  7. exact,
  8. exact differential,
  9. exact science,
  10. exacta

Origin of exacerbate

1650–60; < Latin exacerbātus (past participle of exacerbāre to exasperate, provoke), equivalent to ex- ex-1 + acerbātus acerbate
ANTONYMS FOR exacerbate
1. relieve, soothe, alleviate.
SEE MORE ANTONYMS FOR exacerbate ON THESAURUS.COM
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

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

v.

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

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper