Synonyms

exacerbate

American

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

verb (used with object)

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

Synonyms:

worsen, inflame, intensify

Antonyms:

alleviate, soothe, relieve
to embitter the feelings of (a person); irritate; exasperate.

exacerbate British

/ ɪɡˈzæsəˌbeɪt, ɪkˈsæs- /

verb

to make (pain, disease, emotion, etc) more intense; aggravate
to exasperate or irritate (a person)

"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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

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:

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.

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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.

Sessions ahead of a long holiday weekend can be light on liquidity, which can exacerbate market moves.

From MarketWatch • Jul. 2, 2026

Detainees said shampoo and other hygiene items sometimes run out for days and that meals are small or exacerbate diabetes and other health issues.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 1, 2026

"All these factors exacerbate vulnerability and raise serious concerns as to whether some of these deaths in ICE custody could have been prevented," said Turk, the UN high commissioner for human rights.

From Barron's • Jun. 26, 2026

A strong El Niño event would "exacerbate drought and heavy rainfall and increase the risk of heatwaves both on land and in the ocean", said World Meteorological Organization secretary general Celeste Saulo.

From BBC • Jun. 11, 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

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023