as in to worsen
to make more severe
a misconceived plan that only exacerbated the city's traffic problem
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Recent Examples of exacerbate
Attendees, Kessler said, will likely be more thoroughly screened going forward — exacerbating lines at entrances that can already take hours to clear.
—
ABC News, 27 Apr. 2026
The ripples would be felt across the five boroughs, exacerbating our ongoing crisis of child poverty if TPS holders were to lose work authorization and no longer be able to provide for their children.
—Dr. Alister Martin, New York Daily News, 26 Apr. 2026
More recently, a growing domestic gas shortage — exacerbated by the halt in new drilling and worsened by the Iran war — has revived demand for Colombia’s own coal.
—Fabiano Maisonnave, Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2026
Stress and exhaustion can make symptoms worse, according to ASHA and the Cleveland Clinic, and can be exacerbated by vocal stress, such as speaking over a crowd in a noisy place or over the phone.
—Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for exacerbate
ABC News, 27 Apr. 2026
The ripples would be felt across the five boroughs, exacerbating our ongoing crisis of child poverty if TPS holders were to lose work authorization and no longer be able to provide for their children.
—Dr. Alister Martin, New York Daily News, 26 Apr. 2026
More recently, a growing domestic gas shortage — exacerbated by the halt in new drilling and worsened by the Iran war — has revived demand for Colombia’s own coal.
—Fabiano Maisonnave, Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2026
Stress and exhaustion can make symptoms worse, according to ASHA and the Cleveland Clinic, and can be exacerbated by vocal stress, such as speaking over a crowd in a noisy place or over the phone.
—Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for exacerbate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for exacerbate
Verb
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The scale and location of the development have drawn concern from some residents, who say the project could worsen traffic congestion and may not be affordable for middle-class families.—
Daniel Lempres,
Sacbee.com,
28 Apr. 2026
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Meanwhile, the global memory crisis has worsened, forcing tech giants to pay up for the capacity needed to satisfy their data center ambitions.—
Jordan Novet,Jonathan Vanian,
CNBC,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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His work deepened and developed under the responsiveness of the academy and a larger and not-yet-balkanized reading public.—
Nick Laird,
The New York Review of Books,
25 Apr. 2026
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With worker shortages deepening across the region, governments are running out of time.—
Catherine Thorbecke,
Twin Cities,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Mercury aggravates Jupiter, intensifying your vulnerability in creative or romantic situations.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
26 Apr. 2026
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With the likely exit of David Alaba — also considered to be a leader given his experience and influence — that issue would be further aggravated by Carvajal leaving.—
Guillermo Rai,
New York Times,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The shooting has also intensified calls by conservatives to fully fund DHS through a single bill — blaming Democrats for the shutdown and arguing that splitting apart ICE and Border Patrol funding will only give the minority party leverage.—
Mike Lillis,
The Hill,
28 Apr. 2026
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Instead, the slight thaw suggests a more modest agenda that the countries should now pursue, one that acknowledges that tensions between them over fundamental issues — trade, technology, global status — are more likely to intensify than abate.—
Andy Browne,
semafor.com,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Concerns about the injury complicated his evaluation.—
Jeff Howe,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
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This year that quarterback-in-waiting is Alabama’s Ty Simpson, a talented and smart player whose evaluation is complicated by injury struggles, as well as a lack of starting experience and consistency.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Exacerbate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exacerbate. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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