exacerbate

American  

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

verb (used with object)

exacerbated, exacerbating

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

   Synonyms:

   worsen, inflame, intensify

   Antonyms:

   alleviate, soothe, relieve

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

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exacerbate British  

/ ɪɡˈzæsəˌbeɪt, ɪkˈsæs- /

verb

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

2. to exasperate or irritate (a person)

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Other Word Forms

• exacerbatingly
  adverb
• exacerbation
  noun
• unexacerbating
  adjective

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.

Example Sentences

Exacerbate, egz-as′ėr-bāt, or eks-, v.t. to embitter: to provoke: to render more violent or severe, as a disease.—ns.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 2 of 4: E-M) by Various

Related Words

• aggravate
• annoy
• heighten
• inflame
• intensify
• irritate
• provoke
• worsen