exacerbateverb [ T ]
uk/ɪɡˈzæs.ə.beɪt/us/ɪɡˈzæs.ɚ.beɪt/to make something that is already bad even worse:
This attack will exacerbate the already tense relations between the two communities.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Deteriorating and making worse
- a step backwards idiom
- a turn of the screw idiom
- add
- afford
- aggravate
- backslide
- compound
- decline
- degrade
- disintegrate
- dog
- downgrade
- downhill
- fan the flames idiom
- retrograde
- retrogress
- run yourself down
- seed
- slip
- slippery slope
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exacerbation
noun [ U ] uk/ɪɡˌzæs.əˈbeɪ.ʃən/us/ɪɡˌzæs.ɚˈbeɪ.ʃən/