Words / C1

ig-ZAS-uh-bayt/ɪɡˈzæsəbeɪt/

To exacerbate is to make a bad situation worse: missing sleep will exacerbate the problem. Worsen is plain; aggravate is a close synonym (and in informal British English also means annoy a person — avoid that mix-up in essays). Improve is the opposite. You exacerbate a problem, tension, or inequality, not a success. It is a standard academic verb; in speech, make it worse.

Meaning

To make a bad situation worse.

Examples

• “Missing sleep will exacerbate the problem.”
• “Cutting the bus route exacerbated rural isolation.”
• “Damp will exacerbate the mould if you only paint over it.”

Good to know

exacerbate a problem/tension. Formal for make worse. Contrast informal aggravate = annoy.

Near in meaning

worsen

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