as in to worsen
to make more severe
a misconceived plan that only exacerbated the city's traffic problem
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of exacerbate
This season’s Couple That Shouldn’t Be is Rick (Walton Goggins), whose perpetual moodiness is only exacerbated by his free-spirited (and much younger) girlfriend, Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood).
—
Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 11 Feb. 2025
States prone to frequent disasters, such as Louisiana and Florida, would face expensive recurring challenges that would likely exacerbate recovery delays and reduce their overall resilience.
—Ming Xie, The Conversation, 10 Feb. 2025
This was key in making the issue Gromit’s problem, exacerbating his sense of isolation and guilt in not being able to express his dismay at Wallace’s amazing new gift.
—Bill Desowitz, IndieWire, 10 Feb. 2025
Economic analysts warn that higher tariffs could exacerbate inflation, as businesses are likely to pass additional costs onto consumers.
—David Faris, Newsweek, 3 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for exacerbate 
Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 11 Feb. 2025
States prone to frequent disasters, such as Louisiana and Florida, would face expensive recurring challenges that would likely exacerbate recovery delays and reduce their overall resilience.
—Ming Xie, The Conversation, 10 Feb. 2025
This was key in making the issue Gromit’s problem, exacerbating his sense of isolation and guilt in not being able to express his dismay at Wallace’s amazing new gift.
—Bill Desowitz, IndieWire, 10 Feb. 2025
Economic analysts warn that higher tariffs could exacerbate inflation, as businesses are likely to pass additional costs onto consumers.
—David Faris, Newsweek, 3 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for exacerbate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for exacerbate
Verb
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Resting the muscle by avoiding activities that aggravate the muscle injury and worsen the pain gives the muscle time to heal.—
Lindsay Curtis,
Health,
8 Feb. 2025
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There is a real risk that cartels can fill the vacuum and worsen the mass migration in the region.—
MaryAlice Parks,
ABC News,
8 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Popular freezer hacks include saving Parmesan rinds to deepen the flavor of soups, cutting up loaves of bread for toast, and even storing homemade jam without all the mess of canning.—
Meghan McCarron,
The Atlantic,
18 Feb. 2025
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My time in China deepened my belief in the potential for a shared future.—
Logan Spinner,
The Mercury News,
13 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Emotional repression is likely when the moon aggravates Mars retrograde.—
USA TODAY,
USA TODAY,
16 Feb. 2025
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The Trump order leaves the jury’s ability to consider aggravating and mitigating factors in the trial intact.—
Ana Ceballos,
Miami Herald,
13 Feb. 2025
Verb
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In 1940, as the war in Europe intensified, Stimson, now 42 and with more than a decade of surgical experience, learned that a volunteer group of orthopedic surgeons was organizing to treat war victims in Britain.—
Catherine Musemeche,
Smithsonian Magazine,
13 Feb. 2025
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The true secret of what this place is and who created it will be revealed in a clever way, but danger also intensifies when Bartholomew begins to have doubts about the loyalty of her hire.—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
13 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The third edition of the upstairs-downstairs dramedy, named for a fictional chain of upscale resorts, both continues this trajectory and complicates it.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
11 Feb. 2025
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Her daughter, 14-year-old Joey’s coming-of-age battles are further complicated by the unexpected onset of superpowers.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
11 Feb. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near exacerbate
Cite this Entry
“Exacerbate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exacerbate. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
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