exacerbate
Americanverb (used with object)
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
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has exacerbatedperfect
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am exacerbatingprogressive
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are exacerbatingprogressive
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is exacerbatingprogressive
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have been exacerbatingperfect progressive
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has been exacerbatingperfect progressive
Past
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exacerbatedsimple
-
had exacerbatedperfect
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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
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300 Most Difficult "SAT" Words
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Essential Academic Vocabulary for High School Students, List 2
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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.
See Examples For:
The lack of physical windows might exacerbate feelings of motion sickness.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 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
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
But Tonice Edwards, a youth intervention worker with Devon & Cornwall Police and local schools, who worked with Taylor, told the inquest she had warned the school its "punitive system" could exacerbate mental health struggles.
From BBC ● Jun. 30, 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
“On any given day the air is unhealthy to breathe and so of course when you bring a disaster into it, it only exacerbates the existing issues,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026
More recent research suggests that introducing AI only exacerbates vulnerabilities.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 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
Borrowed money magnifies returns when share prices are rising as smaller investors are able to gain far more exposure to the upside, but when share prices fall that leverage exacerbates losses.
From MarketWatch ● May 21, 2026
Greg thinks he helps on busy nights, but really, he only exacerbates the problem.
From "Please Ignore Vera Dietz" by A.S. King
These challenges were exacerbated when Covid devastated the live music industry in 2020.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026
Things have reached the point, she said, “where many climatologists will tell you there is now no heat wave that hasn’t been exacerbated in some way by climate change.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
Poorly managed fires of this type are exacerbated by illicit practices such as deforestation, which is common in areas where illegal mining occurs.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
The pain of the semi-final loss to Argentina has been exacerbated by the stinging criticism he has faced from supporters, pundits and journalists over England's defensive retreat in the closing stages.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
To keep Ngawang from having to exert himself, which would have exacerbated his edema, at several points during the descent, Beidleman picked up the ailing Sherpa and carried him on his back.
From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer
The surge has prompted comparisons with May 2021, when around 8,000 people entered Ceuta over a matter of days, exacerbating diplomatic tensions with Morocco.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
The anticipated jump in cooling costs is exacerbating the financial pressure many are already feeling as inflation sits at a three-year high.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 29, 2026
It also would prevent nurses from earning advanced degrees to become faculty who train the next generation, exacerbating the severe shortage of nurses we currently face.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026
Pushing him to return early and exacerbating the injury would be a larger blow to a team seeking its third straight World Series championship.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2026
If he jumped off now, Seabiscuit, obedient to equine instinct to flee pain, would probably tear over the track, exacerbating his injury.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
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.
