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exacerbate

   Also found in: Medical, Legal, Encyclopedia 0.01 sec.
ex·ac·er·bate  (g-zsr-bt)
tr.v. ex·ac·er·bat·ed, ex·ac·er·bat·ing, ex·ac·er·bates
To increase the severity, violence, or bitterness of; aggravate: a speech that exacerbated racial tensions; a heavy rainfall that exacerbated the flood problems.

[Latin exacerbre, exacerbt- : ex-, intensive pref.; see ex- + acerbre, to make harsh (from acerbus, harsh; see ak- in Indo-European roots).]

ex·acer·bation n.

exacerbate [ɪgˈzæsəˌbeɪt ɪkˈsæs-]
vb (tr)
1. to make (pain, disease, emotion, etc.) more intense; aggravate
2. to exasperate or irritate (a person)
[from Latin exacerbāre to irritate, from acerbus bitter]
exacerbation  n
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Verb1.exacerbate - make worse; "This drug aggravates the pain"
irritate - excite to an abnormal condition, or chafe or inflame; "Aspirin irritates my stomach"
inflame - cause inflammation in; "The repetitive motion inflamed her joint"
alter, change, modify - cause to change; make different; cause a transformation; "The advent of the automobile may have altered the growth pattern of the city"; "The discussion has changed my thinking about the issue"
cheapen, degrade - lower the grade of something; reduce its worth
2.exacerbateexacerbate - exasperate or irritate              
anger - make angry; "The news angered him"

exacerbate
verb make worse, excite, provoke, irritate, intensify, worsen, infuriate, aggravate (informal), enrage, madden, inflame, exasperate, vex, embitter, add insult to injury, fan the flames of, envenom Their poverty has been exacerbated by racial divisions.
Translations
exacerbate [eksˈæsəbeɪt] VT [+ pain, disease] → exacerbar; [+ relations, situation] → empeorar
exacerbate [ɪgˈzæsərbeɪt] vt [+ situation, problem] → aggraver; [+ symptoms] → exacerber, accentuer
exacerbate
vt personverärgern; pain, disease, problemverschlimmern; hatevergrößern; resentment, discontentvertiefen; situation, crisis, tensionsverschärfen
exacerbate [ɪgzˈæsəˌbeɪt] (frm) vt (pain) → aggravare; (relations, situation) → esacerbare, inasprire
exacerbate [ɪgzˈæsəˌbeɪt] (frm) vt (pain) → aggravare; (relations, situation) → esacerbare, inasprire


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? Mentioned in ? References in classic literature
 
He said nothing, however, and his conduct greatly astonished me; yet I thought it prudent not to exacerbate the growing moodiness of his temper by any comment.
 
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