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YOUR VOCABULARY, ONE WORD AT A TIME

exacerbate

Verb

IPA /ɪɡˈzæsəbeɪt/

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Meaning in plain English

To make an already unpleasant problem, situation or condition worse than it was before.

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Pronunciation

exacerbate/ɪɡˈzæsəbeɪt/

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  1. A disagreement is already tense

  2. Someone starts shouting

  3. The conflict becomes worse

Shouting can exacerbate an existing argument.

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  1. Shouting across the room only exacerbated the argument between them.
  2. The late delivery exacerbated the team's existing scheduling problems.

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To make an already unpleasant problem, situation or condition worse than it was before.
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exacerbate — To make an already unpleasant problem, situation or condition worse than it was before.

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To make an already unpleasant problem, situation or condition worse than it was before.

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Word origin

From Latin exacerbare, meaning to make harsh, based on acerbus, meaning harsh or bitter.

Did you know?

Exacerbate takes a problem as its object: exacerbate tension or exacerbate a shortage.

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exacerbate

/ɪɡˈzæsəbeɪt/ (Verb)

“This verb is formal. It means make worse, not cause something for the first time.”

englishskillstudio.com