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

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."

How to use exacerbate

Learner’s notes

In 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'.

Origin: Latin

Synonyms

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aggravate worsen compound intensify inflame

Antonyms

alleviate ease mitigate relieve

Related words

still help rest hurt aid improve calm relief

Rhymes for exacerbate

ate date rate mate fate abate slate plate state grate create update

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.

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