had been exacerbating

• past perfect progressive

  past perfect progressive

  Used to describe an action that was ongoing continuously in the past up until another past event interrupted it.

  of exacerbate.
  exacerbate

  verb (used with object)

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

Related Words

• aggravate
• augment
• complicate
• compound
• escalate
• fuel
• heighten
• inflame
• intensify
• irritate
• magnify
• worsen