as in to worsen
to make more severe a misconceived plan that only exacerbated the city's traffic problem

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of exacerbate Additionally, Grigg said conditions such as asthma are also exacerbated by exposure to air pollution. Joe Edwards, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 June 2025 Even in the near term, the intensity of hurricanes and wildfires is exacerbated by climate change. Robert O. Keohane, Foreign Affairs, 2 June 2025 Aid organizations warned earlier this year that the administration's slashing of foreign aid from the U.S. Agency for International Development threatened to exacerbate the devastating famine in Sudan. Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 30 May 2025 Although the exact number of people required to evacuate is uncertain, this development is likely to exacerbate the humanitarian crisis in the enclave. Mohammad Al Sawalhi, CNN Money, 29 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for exacerbate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for exacerbate
Verb
  • There are also mental health impacts with worsening anxiety, stress, and depression in the hotter summer months.
    Jamie Hailstone, Forbes.com, 28 May 2025
  • Relations have only worsened in recent years, as Beijing has leveraged its budding economic and military power to ramp up pressure on its neighbor.
    ELY RATNER, Foreign Affairs, 27 May 2025
Verb
  • In that film, Cazale is visibly sick, but that only deepens his performance as the sad fool in a macho band of brothers.
    Michael Schulman, New Yorker, 6 June 2025
  • As Meech and Terry confront new enemies and deal with the consequences of their time in Mexico, the tension between them deepens, testing a bond that once felt unbreakable.
    Okla Jones, Essence, 6 June 2025
Verb
  • The minuscule particles can lead to breathing problems like bronchitis and cause inflammation that aggravates diabetes, heart disease and other health conditions.
    Mary Gilbert, CNN Money, 3 June 2025
  • The intense confrontation both in the South Korean Parliament and among the public over Yoon's fateful act has aggravated the country's political polarization and shaken South Koreans' confidence in their democracy.
    Se Eun Gong, NPR, 2 June 2025
Verb
  • Supply chain vulnerabilities exposed during recent global disruptions have highlighted the fragility of our food systems and have intensified competition while simultaneously opening new markets.
    Persa Sakellaridi, Forbes.com, 2 June 2025
  • The Two of Swords indicates mental fog, likely intensified by Mercury retrograde in Aries starting on the 15th.
    Meghan Rose, Glamour, 1 June 2025
Verb
  • But Lijn’s mechanized drama is a resolutely feminist one, a face-off between two cyborgs who both conjure and complicate the archetypes of the nature goddess and the murderous woman.
    Marina Isgro, Artforum, 1 June 2025
  • One is the long-running foreclosure of 57-75 Pratt St. involving Shelbourne has complicated the leasing of prominent, vacant storefronts in those buildings.
    Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 1 June 2025

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“Exacerbate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exacerbate. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.

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