Exacerbate

Definition

To make an already bad situation more severe, serious, or intense — to worsen something that was already a problem.

Beyond the definition

Exacerbate is the word for when help becomes harm, when intervention backfires, when one thing piled on another turns a problem into a crisis. It carries a sense of compounded difficulty.

Origin & history

From Latin exacerbare (to make harsh or rough) — from ex- (intensive) + acerbus (harsh, bitter). Related to acrimony and acrid — all from the root of sharpness and bitterness.

Example sentences

Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.

The new policy inadvertently exacerbated the very inequalities it was designed to address.

Stress is known to exacerbate most chronic health conditions.

His refusal to communicate only exacerbated the tension between the two teams.

How to use it

This entry uses a verb. Follow the examples for tense and any objects or prepositions it needs.

Choose “Exacerbate” when the meaning fits your context: To make an already bad situation more severe, serious, or intense — to worsen something that was already a problem.

Synonyms

worsen, aggravate, intensify, inflame, compound

Antonyms

ameliorate, alleviate, mitigate, improve

Related words

• aggravate
• inflame
• compound
• deteriorate

Exacerbate vs aggravate

Aggravate has two meanings: to make something worse, and (informally) to irritate a person. Exacerbate only means to make a bad situation more severe — it's always about worsening a condition or problem, never about annoying a person. This precision makes exacerbate preferable in formal writing. You aggravate a wound; you exacerbate a crisis. Both make things worse, but exacerbate is always the situation, never the person.

Questions about this word

What does "Exacerbate" mean?

Exacerbate is verb meaning: To make a bad situation worse.. To make an already bad situation more severe, serious, or intense — to worsen something that was already a problem.

Where does the word "Exacerbate" come from?

From Latin exacerbare (to make harsh or rough) — from ex- (intensive) + acerbus (harsh, bitter). Related to acrimony and acrid — all from the root of sharpness and bitterness.