exacerbate

exacerbate

intensify; worsen; inflame; increase the severity of: Her response only exacerbated the situation.

Not to be confused with:

exasperate – annoy extremely; incense; vex; anger: She was exasperated by the noisy neighbors.

Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embree

ex·ac·er·bate

 (ĭg-zăs′ər-bāt′)

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.

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

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ex·ac′er·ba′tion n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

exacerbate

(ɪɡˈzæsəˌbeɪt; ɪkˈsæs-)

vb (tr)

1. to make (pain, disease, emotion, etc) more intense; aggravate

2. to exasperate or irritate (a person)

[C17: from Latin exacerbāre to irritate, from acerbus bitter]

exˌacerˈbation n

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

ex•ac•er•bate

(ɪgˈzæs ərˌbeɪt, ɛkˈsæs-)

v.t. -bat•ed, -bat•ing.

1. to increase the severity, bitterness, or violence of (disease, ill feeling, etc.).

2. to embitter the feelings of (a person).

[1650–60; < Latin exacerbātus, past participle of exacerbāre to exasperate =ex- ex-¹ + acerbāre to make bitter]

ex•ac′er•bat`ing•ly, adv.

ex•ac`er•ba′tion, n.

Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

exacerbate

Past participle: exacerbated
Gerund: exacerbating

Imperative

exacerbate

exacerbate

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

Thesaurus

Verb	1.	exacerbate - make worse; "This drug aggravates the pain" aggravate, worsen, exasperate 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.	exacerbate - exasperate or irritate     exasperate, aggravate anger - make angry; "The news angered him"

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

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.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

Translations

exacerber

esacerbareaggravamento

exacerbate

[eksˈæsəbeɪt] VT [+ pain, disease] → exacerbar; [+ relations, situation] → empeorar

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

exacerbate

[ɪgˈzæsə^rbeɪt] vt [+ situation, problem] → aggraver; [+ symptoms] → exacerber, accentuer

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

exacerbate

vt person → verärgern; pain, disease, problem → verschlimmern; hate → vergrößern; resentment, discontent → vertiefen; situation, crisis, tensions → verschärfen

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

exacerbate

[ɪgzˈæsəˌbeɪt] (frm) vt (pain) → aggravare; (relations, situation) → esacerbare, inasprire

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995