as in aggravated
to make more severe
a misconceived plan that only exacerbated the city's traffic problem
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Recent Examples of exacerbated
That increase came as Thailand also saw heavy rainfall amid its monsoon season, as well as extreme weather that has been exacerbated by climate change.
—
Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 10 Oct. 2025
In the United Kingdom, social media exacerbated this narrative, depriving Teasdale and Chambers of the necessary space to privately reckon with their sudden fame.
—Sophie Williams, Billboard, 10 Oct. 2025
California is well known for its high fuel prices and strict environmental regulations, but a string of upcoming oil refinery shutdowns—exacerbated by a massive fire at a huge Chevron plant—threatens to spike the state’s sky-high prices further and force the state to import much more oil from Asia.
—Jordan Blum, Fortune, 9 Oct. 2025
The effects of the coastal flooding from the nor’easter along the Atlantic coast is forecast to be exacerbated by the king tides occurring along the coast in conjunction with the full moon and seasonal high tides.
—Doyle Rice, USA Today, 9 Oct. 2025
Bedsure 2-Piece Satin Pillowcase Set My hair is prone to frizz, which is exacerbated by even the slightest tinge of humidity.
—Alicia Geigel, Southern Living, 8 Oct. 2025
Long-standing controller staffing shortages — exacerbated by insufficient hiring, extensive training timelines and high dropout rates — have remained a problem in the years since.
—Joel Rose, NPR, 7 Oct. 2025
Mining companies have so exacerbated water scarcity that many Indigenous Chileans have had to give up herding.
—Scott W. Stern, The Atlantic, 2 Oct. 2025
The postseason exacerbated the issue.
—Fred Katz, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 10 Oct. 2025
In the United Kingdom, social media exacerbated this narrative, depriving Teasdale and Chambers of the necessary space to privately reckon with their sudden fame.
—Sophie Williams, Billboard, 10 Oct. 2025
California is well known for its high fuel prices and strict environmental regulations, but a string of upcoming oil refinery shutdowns—exacerbated by a massive fire at a huge Chevron plant—threatens to spike the state’s sky-high prices further and force the state to import much more oil from Asia.
—Jordan Blum, Fortune, 9 Oct. 2025
The effects of the coastal flooding from the nor’easter along the Atlantic coast is forecast to be exacerbated by the king tides occurring along the coast in conjunction with the full moon and seasonal high tides.
—Doyle Rice, USA Today, 9 Oct. 2025
Bedsure 2-Piece Satin Pillowcase Set My hair is prone to frizz, which is exacerbated by even the slightest tinge of humidity.
—Alicia Geigel, Southern Living, 8 Oct. 2025
Long-standing controller staffing shortages — exacerbated by insufficient hiring, extensive training timelines and high dropout rates — have remained a problem in the years since.
—Joel Rose, NPR, 7 Oct. 2025
Mining companies have so exacerbated water scarcity that many Indigenous Chileans have had to give up herding.
—Scott W. Stern, The Atlantic, 2 Oct. 2025
The postseason exacerbated the issue.
—Fred Katz, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for exacerbated
Verb
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The 25-year-old guard suffered the toe injury late last season and aggravated it during the playoffs, forcing him to miss four games as Cleveland fell to the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference semifinals.—
Evan Dammarell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Oct. 2025
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Wasps will become aggravated if their nest is disturbed, so it's not recommended to knock down the nest.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Over the past few years, Lego has worked on expanding its customer base and deepened its strategy to achieve a streak of positive annual growth.—
Laya Neelakandan,
CNBC,
13 Oct. 2025
-
As the spring went on, the confusion deepened.—
Emma Green,
New Yorker,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
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His idea centers on Russia’s long-standing labor shortages, which have worsened since the war broke out and many working-age men have either been mobilized or fled overseas.—
Clare Sebastian,
CNN Money,
11 Oct. 2025
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The accident victim had passed away, the caller said, which meant Anthony’s son’s predicament had worsened, and the amount needed for bail had gone up—$15,800 was now required.—
Madhusree Mukerjee,
Scientific American,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Three hurricanes—Erin, Gabrielle, and Humberto—intensified to at least Category 4 at their peak, with both Erin and Humberto reaching Category 5 intensity, though all of them did so over the Atlantic rather than on land.—
Simmone Shah,
Time,
14 Oct. 2025
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The very strongest moments of DMV, CBS’ brand-new single-cam, tap into that sense of stuck-ness, intensified by clocking in each day to that most purgatorial of government institutions.—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
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And here’s where things get complicated.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
11 Oct. 2025
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As streaming slowly became the public’s preferred way of listening to records, the medium complicated the traditional definition of success.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
10 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Exacerbated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exacerbated. Accessed 16 Oct. 2025.
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