Exacerbate

Definition

Exacerbate is a transitive verb meaning to make a problem, bad situation, or negative feeling worse; to intensify the severity or bitterness of something adverse.

Parts of Speech

• Verb (transitive)

Pronunciation

American English

• IPA: /ɪɡˈzæsərˌbeɪt/
• Respelling: ig-ZASS-ər-bayt

British English

• IPA: /ɪɡˈzæsəbeɪt/
• Respelling: ig-ZASS-uh-bayt

Etymology

Early 17th century: from Latin exacerbāre ‘to make bitter, irritate,’ from ex- ‘thoroughly’ (intensive) + acerbus ‘harsh, bitter’ (source of acerbic, acrid).

Derivatives

• exacerbated (verb past; adjective: “made worse”)
• exacerbating (present participle/gerund)
• exacerbation (noun) — the act or instance of worsening; a flare-up (esp. medical)
• exacerbative (adjective) — tending to worsen
• exacerbatory (adjective) — causing or contributing to exacerbation
• exacerbator (noun) — an agent that worsens something

Synonyms

• worsen
• aggravate
• intensify
• inflame
• amplify
• compound
• heighten
• magnify

Antonyms

• alleviate
• mitigate
• ameliorate
• ease
• relieve
• reduce
• lessen
• improve

Usage

General: Commonly takes negative nouns as objects (e.g., crisis, problem, tensions, symptoms, inequality). It does not mean “annoy” (unlike aggravate, which can informally mean “irritate”).

• “Cutting essential services may exacerbate the city’s housing crisis.”
• “Dry air can exacerbate asthma symptoms.”
• “Misinformation exacerbated public anxiety.”
• “Their remarks only exacerbated existing tensions.”

Related Terms

• Aggravate: To make worse or more serious; also informally, to annoy.
• Inflame: To arouse or intensify strong negative feelings (e.g., anger, hostility).
• Compound: To make something worse by adding to it.
• Alleviate: To make less severe (antonymic relation).
• Mitigate: To reduce the severity or impact (antonymic relation).
• Exacerbation (medical): A flare-up or acute worsening of a chronic condition.

Detailed Definitions

Verb

• To make (a problem, situation, or negative feeling) worse — to intensify severity or harmfulness.
  • Example: “The sudden price hike exacerbated the cost-of-living crisis.”
• (Medicine) To increase the severity of a disease, symptom, or clinical state — to provoke a flare-up or deterioration.
  • Example: “Allergens can exacerbate chronic rhinitis.”
• To heighten or intensify hostile or volatile conditions — especially in social, political, or interpersonal contexts.
  • Example: “The inflammatory rhetoric exacerbated regional tensions.”