exacerbate
to make a problem or bad situation worse
Word origin: From Latin exacerbare, to irritate, from acerbus, harsh.
Exacerbate in a sentence
Here are example sentences showing exacerbate in a sentence.
Cutting funding would only exacerbate the housing shortage.
Cutting the maintenance budget only exacerbated the very delays the agency hoped to fix.
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Verbal · Sentence Equivalence
Far from being the revolutionary thinker his admirers claimed, the philosopher was in fact quite blank, defending the traditional doctrines of his teachers without challenge.
Using “exacerbate” well
Exacerbate means to worsen something already bad, such as a problem, tension, or illness. It cannot be used of improving; its object is always something negative.
More GRE words starting with E
to gradually decline, recede, or diminish
overflowing enthusiasm and liveliness
the quality of overflowing, bubbling enthusiasm
overflowing with cheerful enthusiasm and high spirits
deviating from conventional or accepted behavior in odd ways
a level or rank within an organization, profession, or society
drawing from a wide and diverse range of sources or styles
to deprive of importance or overshadow by being superior
Questions about “exacerbate”
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