Standard Lemma guide

exacerbate

verb · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • US: ĭg-zăs'ər-bāt
  • US: /ɪɡˈzæsɚˌbeɪt/
  • UK: /ɪɡˈzæsəˌbeɪt/
  • UK: /ɪkˈsæs-/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: IH0 G Z AE1 S ER0 B EY2 T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

verb

Meaning 1

To make worse (a problem, bad situation, negative feeling, etc.).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Examples

  • Near-synonym: worsen
  • The proposed shutdown would exacerbate unemployment problems.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: aggravate, worsen

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

make worse

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • This drug aggravates the pain

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: worsen, aggravate, exasperate

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: change, alter, modify

Narrower terms: irritate, inflame, degrade, cheapen

3

verb

Meaning 3

exasperate or irritate

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: exasperate, aggravate

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: anger

History

Etymology

First attested in 1660; borrowed from Latin exacerbātus, perfect passive participle of Latin exacerbō (“to provoke”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from ex- (“out of; thoroughly”) + acerbō (“to embitter, harshen or worsen”).

Across languages

Translations

47 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: սաստկացնել (sastkacʻnel) — make worse
  • Bulgarian: влошавам (vlošavam) — make worse
  • Catalan: exacerbar — make worse
  • Catalan: agreujar — make worse
  • Chinese Mandarin: 使惡化 /使恶化 (shǐ èhuà) — make worse
  • Chinese Mandarin: 加劇 /加剧 (jiājù) — make worse
  • Chinese Mandarin: 加重 (jiāzhòng) — make worse
  • Czech: zhoršit — make worse
  • Czech: ztížit — make worse
  • Danish: forværre — make worse
  • Danish: skærpe — make worse
  • Dutch: verslechteren — make worse
  • Dutch: verergeren — make worse
  • Dutch: exacerberen — make worse
  • Finnish: pahentaa — make worse
  • French: exacerber — make worse
  • French: aggraver — make worse
  • French: empirer — make worse
  • German: verschlimmern — make worse
  • German: verschärfen — make worse
  • German: verschlechtern — make worse
  • German: schlimmer machen — make worse
  • Irish: géaraigh — make worse
  • Italian: esacerbare — make worse
  • Japanese: 悪化させる (akka saseru) — make worse
  • Latin: exacerbō — make worse
  • Norwegian Bokmål: forverre — make worse
  • Norwegian Bokmål: skjerpe — make worse
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: forverre — make worse
  • Polish: pogarszać — make worse
  • Polish: pogorszyć — make worse
  • Polish: zaostrzać — make worse
  • Polish: zaostrzyć — make worse
  • Portuguese: exacerbar — make worse
  • Russian: ухудша́ть (uxudšátʹ) — make worse
  • Russian: уху́дшить (uxúdšitʹ) — make worse
  • Russian: усугубля́ть (usugubljátʹ) — make worse
  • Russian: усугуби́ть (usugubítʹ) — make worse
  • Spanish: exacerbar — make worse
  • Spanish: agravar — make worse
  • Spanish: empeorar — make worse
  • Swedish: förvärra — make worse
  • Swedish: skärpa — make worse
  • Turkish: kötüleştirmek — make worse
  • Ukrainian: загострювати (zahostrjuvaty) — make worse
  • Ukrainian: поглиблювати (pohlybljuvaty) — make worse
  • Ukrainian: погіршувати (pohiršuvaty) — make worse