Exacerbate
verb
To make a bad situation worse.
His reckless behavior only served to exacerbate the already tense situation.
Often appears as...
- exacerbate the problem
- exacerbate the situation
verb
To increase the intensity or seriousness of an illness or pain.
Smoking can exacerbate the respiratory problems.
Often appears as...
- exacerbate the pain
- exacerbate the disease
Usage tips
Formal
Technical
verb
To make a bad situation worse.
His reckless behavior only served to exacerbate the already tense situation.
Often appears as...
- exacerbate the problem
- exacerbate the situation
verb
To increase the intensity or seriousness of an illness or pain.
Smoking can exacerbate the respiratory problems.
Often appears as...
- exacerbate the pain
- exacerbate the disease
Usage tips
Formal
Technical
Definition 1 of 2
Pro Tip 1/3Negative Tone
Exacerbate implies a negative impact, often associated with escalation of trouble or conflict.
Ignoring the advice, he continued shouting, which only exacerbated the argument.
Pro Tip 2/3Emotionally Charged
Often used in situations with a strong emotional aspect, like anger, frustration or urgency.
His accusatory tone exacerbated her feelings of guilt.
Pro Tip 3/3Severity of Situation
Indicates that an action or event has significantly increased the severity of a situation.
The sudden drop in stock prices exacerbated the financial crisis.
Pro Tip 1/3Negative Tone
Exacerbate implies a negative impact, often associated with escalation of trouble or conflict.
Ignoring the advice, he continued shouting, which only exacerbated the argument.
Pro Tip 2/3Emotionally Charged
Often used in situations with a strong emotional aspect, like anger, frustration or urgency.
His accusatory tone exacerbated her feelings of guilt.
Pro Tip 3/3Severity of Situation
Indicates that an action or event has significantly increased the severity of a situation.
The sudden drop in stock prices exacerbated the financial crisis.
Pro Tip 1/3Negative Tone
Exacerbate implies a negative impact, often associated with escalation of trouble or conflict.
Ignoring the advice, he continued shouting, which only exacerbated the argument.
Pro Tip 2/3Emotionally Charged
Often used in situations with a strong emotional aspect, like anger, frustration or urgency.
His accusatory tone exacerbated her feelings of guilt.
Pro Tip 3/3Severity of Situation
Indicates that an action or event has significantly increased the severity of a situation.
The sudden drop in stock prices exacerbated the financial crisis.
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Video examples
Steven Johnson: How...
it would be the most momentous change in the history of our species, right? Initially, it would intensely -- increase the health inequalities in the world because people could -- only rich people could afford these treatments originally. It would greatly exacerbate our runaway population growth problem
Video examples
Esther Duflo: Social...
Do you believe the people who tell you that all we need to do is to spend money? That we know how to eradicate poverty, we just need to do more? Or do you believe the people who tell you that aid is not going to help, on the contrary it might hurt, it might exacerbate corruption, dependence, etc.?
Video examples
What makes tuberculosis...
that exacerbate TB and trigger latent cases. Worse still, accessing treatment can be difficult in many of these countries, and the stigma towards TB can discourage people from getting the help they need. Health experts agree we need to develop better diagnostics,
Video examples
Michael Pawlyn: Using...
of the land by plants that helped create the benign climate we currently enjoy. The converse is also true. The more vegetation we lose, the more that's likely to exacerbate climate change and lead to further desertification. And this animation,
Video examples
You can grow new brain...
such calorie restriction will improve memory capacity, whereas a high-fat diet will exacerbate symptoms of depression -- as opposed to omega-3 fatty acids, which increase neurogenesis, and also help to decrease the symptoms of depression.
Video examples
History 101: The...
and military influence than some emperors and kings. This tension was exacerbated by the transformative social and intellectual period known as the Renaissance. In particular, this period involved the rise of humanism.
Video examples
What’s that ringing in...
a condition that can exacerbate the symptoms of PTSD, insomnia, anxiety, and depression. There’s no known cure for subjective tinnitus. So the most important thing doctors can do
Video examples
Chen Qiufan: A sci-fi...
communication and compassion to each individual equally. Educational technology no longer exacerbates class divisions. With digital twins enabled by natural language processing
Video examples
Chris McKnett: The...
or at least not exacerbating them? What if we work and save and invest, only to find that the world we retire into is more stressed and less secure than it is now?
Video examples
Why invest in the...
whose policies are not pro citizen and this tends to exacerbate inequality so we have a huge issue on our hands and I believe
Video examples
Steven Johnson: How...
it would be the most momentous change in the history of our species, right? Initially, it would intensely -- increase the health inequalities in the world because people could -- only rich people could afford these treatments originally. It would greatly exacerbate our runaway population growth problem
Video examples
Esther Duflo: Social...
Do you believe the people who tell you that all we need to do is to spend money? That we know how to eradicate poverty, we just need to do more? Or do you believe the people who tell you that aid is not going to help, on the contrary it might hurt, it might exacerbate corruption, dependence, etc.?
Video examples
What makes tuberculosis...
that exacerbate TB and trigger latent cases. Worse still, accessing treatment can be difficult in many of these countries, and the stigma towards TB can discourage people from getting the help they need. Health experts agree we need to develop better diagnostics,
Video examples
Michael Pawlyn: Using...
of the land by plants that helped create the benign climate we currently enjoy. The converse is also true. The more vegetation we lose, the more that's likely to exacerbate climate change and lead to further desertification. And this animation,
Video examples
You can grow new brain...
such calorie restriction will improve memory capacity, whereas a high-fat diet will exacerbate symptoms of depression -- as opposed to omega-3 fatty acids, which increase neurogenesis, and also help to decrease the symptoms of depression.
Video examples
History 101: The...
and military influence than some emperors and kings. This tension was exacerbated by the transformative social and intellectual period known as the Renaissance. In particular, this period involved the rise of humanism.
Video examples
What’s that ringing in...
a condition that can exacerbate the symptoms of PTSD, insomnia, anxiety, and depression. There’s no known cure for subjective tinnitus. So the most important thing doctors can do
Video examples
Chen Qiufan: A sci-fi...
communication and compassion to each individual equally. Educational technology no longer exacerbates class divisions. With digital twins enabled by natural language processing
Video examples
Chris McKnett: The...
or at least not exacerbating them? What if we work and save and invest, only to find that the world we retire into is more stressed and less secure than it is now?
Video examples
Why invest in the...
whose policies are not pro citizen and this tends to exacerbate inequality so we have a huge issue on our hands and I believe
Example 1 of 10
Quote examples
Jeffrey Kluger
American Writer
Scarily, football helmets, which do a fine job of protecting against scalp laceration and skull fracture, do little to prevent concussions and may even exacerbate them, since even as the brain is rattling around inside the skull, the head is rattling around inside the helmet.
Quote examples
Henry Louis Gates
American Critic
I think that the roots of racism have always been economic, and I think people are desperate and scared. And when you're desperate and scared you scapegoat people. It exacerbates latent tendencies toward - well, toward racism or homophobia or anti-Semitism.
Quote examples
Eugene Kennedy
American Psychologist
Facebook may not only propagate cyber-loneliness but exacerbate the pain of loss that estranged family members feel when they hear only indirectly, through a third-party posting, news of a child or parent with whom they have not spoken in years.
Quote examples
John F. Kerry
American Politician
The bottom line is that the impacts of climate change can exacerbate resource competition, threaten livelihoods, and increase the risk of instability and conflict, especially in places already undergoing economic, political, and social stress.
Quote examples
Indra Nooyi
Indian Businesswoman
Anything that's done to address unemployment in terms of massive stimulus spending is going to exacerbate deficits. And anything that's done to address deficits in the short-term is going to exacerbate unemployment.
Quote examples
Christine Todd Whitman
American Politician
The climate has always changed - after all, we've had numerous ice ages without human influence - but human activity has undoubtedly exacerbated Earth's natural trends beyond its capacity to adjust.
Quote examples
Sharan Burrow
Welsh Activist
Democracy is becoming collateral damage in a world where global risks have been ignored or exacerbated by those with the power to act.
Quote examples
Gary Weiss
American Journalist
With such enormous bucks devoted to trading in oil and other commodities, the distortions that they cause have been exacerbated.
Quote examples
Bob Beckel
American Journalist
The media role in highlighting racial incidents only serves to exacerbate tension. We rarely write about racial harmony.
Quote examples
Jimmy Gomez
American Politician
I believe everyone deserves access to clean air and water, and that climate change has exacerbated this challenge.
Quote examples
Jeffrey Kluger
American Writer
Scarily, football helmets, which do a fine job of protecting against scalp laceration and skull fracture, do little to prevent concussions and may even exacerbate them, since even as the brain is rattling around inside the skull, the head is rattling around inside the helmet.
Quote examples
Henry Louis Gates
American Critic
I think that the roots of racism have always been economic, and I think people are desperate and scared. And when you're desperate and scared you scapegoat people. It exacerbates latent tendencies toward - well, toward racism or homophobia or anti-Semitism.
Quote examples
Eugene Kennedy
American Psychologist
Facebook may not only propagate cyber-loneliness but exacerbate the pain of loss that estranged family members feel when they hear only indirectly, through a third-party posting, news of a child or parent with whom they have not spoken in years.
Quote examples
John F. Kerry
American Politician
The bottom line is that the impacts of climate change can exacerbate resource competition, threaten livelihoods, and increase the risk of instability and conflict, especially in places already undergoing economic, political, and social stress.
Quote examples
Indra Nooyi
Indian Businesswoman
Anything that's done to address unemployment in terms of massive stimulus spending is going to exacerbate deficits. And anything that's done to address deficits in the short-term is going to exacerbate unemployment.
Quote examples
Christine Todd Whitman
American Politician
The climate has always changed - after all, we've had numerous ice ages without human influence - but human activity has undoubtedly exacerbated Earth's natural trends beyond its capacity to adjust.
Quote examples
Sharan Burrow
Welsh Activist
Democracy is becoming collateral damage in a world where global risks have been ignored or exacerbated by those with the power to act.
Quote examples
Gary Weiss
American Journalist
With such enormous bucks devoted to trading in oil and other commodities, the distortions that they cause have been exacerbated.
Quote examples
Bob Beckel
American Journalist
The media role in highlighting racial incidents only serves to exacerbate tension. We rarely write about racial harmony.
Quote examples
Jimmy Gomez
American Politician
I believe everyone deserves access to clean air and water, and that climate change has exacerbated this challenge.
Example 1 of 10
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