exacerbated

past tense of exacerbate
as in aggravated
to make more severe a misconceived plan that only exacerbated the city's traffic problem

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Examples Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of exacerbated Hayes points out that on the hierarchy of needs, therapy comes after food and shelter — and in the absence of these basic needs being met, existing trauma can be exacerbated. Katia Riddle, NPR, 8 Jan. 2025 And social media has sort of exacerbated that. Stephen Rodrick, Rolling Stone, 8 Jan. 2025 The fires are forecasted to be exacerbated by low humidity, dry vegetation and strong winds between 50 and 100 miles per hour, the National Weather Service said. Bill Chappell, NPR, 8 Jan. 2025 The deluge of immigration that followed has strained Canada’s welfare state and exacerbated the housing shortage. The Editors, National Review, 7 Jan. 2025 Many are fleeing poverty, which in many parts of the world has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and a changing climate. Amy Pope, Foreign Affairs, 7 Jan. 2025 The pressure in specific areas, particularly in the greater Toronto and Montreal areas, has likely exacerbated the problem of asylum seekers, thus overshadowing the benefits of the contribution of the overall immigrant population. Kevin Lynn, Newsweek, 7 Jan. 2025 His early music was fueled by his difficult relationship with a factory worker father whose depression and fearfulness was exacerbated by being unable to figure out what his free spirited long-haired son with the guitar was headed for a dead end. Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 7 Jan. 2025 This burnout, exacerbated by resource constraints that have perpetuated since the COVID-19 pandemic, is fueling the healthcare worker shortage. Waqaas Al-Siddiq, Forbes, 7 Jan. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for exacerbated
Verb
  • However, salt damage incurred in the 1970s due to the installation of a heated concrete slab, which aggravated the salt stored in the 18th and 19th centuries, threatened the church’s structural integrity.
    Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 5 Jan. 2025
  • Prior to the game, Mosley said Gary Harris, who missed Friday’s game, re-aggravated his left hamstring strain against the Pistons.
    Jason Beede, Orlando Sentinel, 4 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • This delivered incredible accessibility, flexibility and efficiency, but also deepened the digital divide for those without technology access, blurred work-life boundaries and fueled loneliness.
    Ann Kowal Smith, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024
  • Although Moscow has supplied Beijing with arms for years—including advanced fighter aircraft, air defense systems, and antiship missiles—their defense ties have deepened at an alarming rate.
    Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Foreign Affairs, 18 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • However, wider market fundamentals have not materially altered and have somewhat worsened.
    Gaurav Sharma, Forbes, 22 Dec. 2024
  • The situation has clearly worsened in the past five years.
    Benedict Cosgrove, Newsweek, 20 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • Discussions about reforming this program have intensified, with some advocating for the removal of country-specific caps on green cards to address extensive backlogs faced by applicants from countries including India.
    Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 26 Dec. 2024
  • Those theories only intensified after Live Nation — one of the world’s biggest touring companies, which backed Bey’s most recent trek, the Renaissance World Tour — reposted the musician’s teasers on its own socials.
    Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 26 Dec. 2024

Thesaurus Entries Near exacerbated

Cite this Entry

“Exacerbated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exacerbated. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on exacerbated

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!