ISEE/SSAT Vocabulary BuilderWordsEexacerbate
ISEE/SSAThard
exacerbate
Meaning: to make a problem worse
exacerbate in a sentence
How exacerbate is used in real sentences:
Talking about the issue only exacerbated the tension.
Yelling at the dog only exacerbated its fear.
“Sending troops into the contested strip was therefore imprudent, critics warned, because one patrol's collision might exacerbate the conflict and turn a boundary quarrel into war.”
— from the passage Where the River Moved
Synonyms for exacerbate
Other words for exacerbate — aggravate, worsen and intensify — carry the same meaning.
- aggravate
- worsen
- intensify
Antonyms of exacerbate
Words that mean the opposite of exacerbate:
- alleviate
- ease
- improve
Where it comes from
From Latin exacerbare 'to provoke'
Word parts
- acr/acu — sharp; bitter
exacerbate: ex- (intensively) + acerb (bitter) + -ate (make)
Memory hook
EXACERBATE — EX-tra ACID added to a wound.
Practice exacerbate in the app