verb
exacerbate
ig-ZASS-er-bayt
Exacerbate (verb) means to make an already bad situation, problem or feeling noticeably worse. Example: “Cutting bus routes only exacerbated the town's isolation.”
verb
1
To make an already bad situation, problem or feeling noticeably worse.
"Cutting bus routes only exacerbated the town's isolation."
"Stress can exacerbate the symptoms of the condition."
"The proposed shutdown would exacerbate unemployment problems."
"Liz: It's just with Ed here, it's no wonder I always bring my flat-mates out and then that only exacerbates things. Shaun: What do you mean? Liz: Well you guys hardly get on, do you? Shaun: No, what does "exacerbate" mean?"
— Simon Pegg, Edgar Wright (2004)
"The reasons for this growing disconnect are myriad and complex but the situation is exacerbated by the reality that those English players who do smash through our game's "glass ceiling" command radically inflated transfer fees."
— Louise Taylor, English talent gets left behind as Premier League keeps importing (2013)
How to use exacerbate
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishTo make a bad thing worse.
When to use it
Formal, at home in news reporting, medical writing and policy documents.
Memory tip
Its object must already be negative. You can exacerbate a shortage or an injury, but not a holiday.
Trace the full origin ↓
Easily confused with
exacerbate vs exasperate
exacerbate vs aggravate
Common pairings
exacerbate the problem
exacerbate tensions
exacerbate symptoms
further exacerbated by
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Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
Cutting bus routes only _____ the town's isolation.
Etymology
From Latin exacerbare 'to irritate, embitter', from ex- (intensifying) and acerbus 'harsh, bitter'.
Synonyms
View more →Antonyms
Related words
Rhymes for exacerbate
See all rhymes for exacerbate →Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between exacerbate and exasperate?
Exacerbate makes a bad situation worse and takes a problem as its object. Exasperate means to irritate a person intensely and takes a person as its object. Traffic exacerbates pollution; traffic exasperates drivers.
What is the difference between exacerbate and aggravate?
In the sense of making something worse they are near-synonyms, and both are correct. Aggravate has an extra everyday meaning of 'annoy', so exacerbate is the safer choice in formal writing where you want no ambiguity.
How do you pronounce exacerbate?
It is ig-ZASS-er-bayt, with the second syllable stressed and the 'c' sounded as a soft 's'. The common mispronunciation with a hard 'k' comes from reading the spelling rather than the Latin.
What is the meaning of exacerbate?
"exacerbate" (verb) means to make an already bad situation, problem or feeling noticeably worse.
