Meaning & use
exacerbate
To make a problem, injury, or bad situation more severe or worse.
See it in a sentence
Skipping physical therapy will only exacerbate the pain in your knee.
Cutting the training budget could exacerbate staff shortages next year.
A note on using this word
Exacerbate applies to problems or feelings, not to people; you exacerbate a situation, not a person.
Words with a similar meaning
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Words with an opposite meaning
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