Dictionary

exacerbate en · VERB

Pronunciation

• ĭg-zăs'ər-bāt (US)
• /ɪɡˈzæsəˌbeɪt/ (UK)
• (US) audio
• /ɪɡˈzæsɚˌbeɪt/ (US)
• /ɪkˈsæs-/ (UK)

Etymology

First attested in 1660; borrowed from Latin exacerbātus, perfect passive participle of Latin exacerbō (“to provoke”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from ex- (“out of; thoroughly”) + acerbō (“to embitter, harshen or worsen”).

Meanings

1. (transitive) To make worse (a problem, bad situation, negative feeling, etc.).
   • The reasons for this growing disconnect are myriad and complex but the situation is exacerbated by the reality that those English players who do smash through our game's "glass ceiling" command radically inflated transfer fees. 2013 August 20, Louise Taylor, “English talent gets left behind as Premier League keeps importing”, in The Guardian:
   • Near-synonym: worsen
   • The proposed shutdown would exacerbate unemployment problems.
   • Sino-Soviet relations were exacerbated by a border incident on May 9. Beijing charged that thirty Soviet troops, supported by a helicopter and navy boats, crossed the Ussuri River into the Hulin area of Heilongjiang province. 1986, Peter P. Cheng, “1978: The Four Modernizations on the March”, in Chronology of The People's Republic of China, 1970-1979, Scarecrow Press, Inc., →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 395:
   • Liz: It's just with Ed here, it's no wonder I always bring my flat-mates out and then that only exacerbates things. Shaun: What do you mean? Liz: Well you guys hardly get on, do you? Shaun: No, what does "exacerbate" mean? 2004, Simon Pegg, Edgar Wright, Shaun of the Dead:

Forms

Coordinates

intensify · deteriorate

Deriveds

unexacerbated · exacerbator · exacerbatingly · exacerbation · exacerbatory

Relateds

exasperate · exacervation · acerbate

Synonyms

worsen · aggravate

Translations (47)

uk погіршувати (make worse) · ru уху́дшить (make worse) · ga géaraigh (make worse) · ja 悪化させる (make worse) · da skærpe (make worse) · fi pahentaa (make worse) · da forværre (make worse) · sv skärpa (make worse) · tr kötüleştirmek (make worse) · cmn 加劇 /加剧 (make worse) · cs zhoršit (make worse) · es exacerbar (make worse) · es empeorar (make worse) · de verschärfen (make worse) · nl verergeren (make worse) · es agravar (make worse) · nb skjerpe (make worse) · de schlimmer machen (make worse) · la exacerbō (make worse) · uk поглиблювати (make worse) · nl exacerberen (make worse) · nn forverre (make worse) · hy սաստկացնել (make worse) · ru ухудша́ть (make worse) · pl pogorszyć (make worse) · ca agreujar (make worse) · pl pogarszać (make worse) · cmn 加重 (make worse) · ru усугуби́ть (make worse) · fr aggraver (make worse) · it esacerbare (make worse) · nb forverre (make worse) · bg влошавам (make worse) · sv förvärra (make worse) · fr empirer (make worse) · pt exacerbar (make worse) · ru усугубля́ть (make worse) · de verschlechtern (make worse) · pl zaostrzać (make worse) · de verschlimmern (make worse) · cmn 使惡化 /使恶化 (make worse) · nl verslechteren (make worse) · ca exacerbar (make worse) · fr exacerber (make worse) · pl zaostrzyć (make worse) · uk загострювати (make worse) · cs ztížit (make worse)