exacerbate means to make worse (a problem, bad situation, negative feeling, etc.). It carries an Arena rating of 1639, earned across 10 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, exacerbate ranks #13 of 13,330 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #15 of 13,330 for Best Fossil-Poetry Words, #19 of 13,330 for Most Incisive Words, #30 of 13,330 for Most Malleable Words.
exacerbate is pronounced /ɪɡˈzæsɚˌbeɪt/.
Why “exacerbate” is a great word
To make a problem, bad situation, or negative feeling more severe or bitter. From Latin *exacerbātus*, past participle of *exacerbō*, from *ex-* ("thoroughly") + *acerbō* ("to make bitter or harsh"), entering English in the mid-seventeenth century with its full, sharp flavor intact. Unlike "aggravate," which can imply simple provocation, or "alleviate," its direct and hopeful opposite, to exacerbate is to apply a specific, corrosive pressure. It is the careless word that turns a discussion into an argument, the well-intentioned aid that deepens a debt, the hand that unconsciously presses a bruise—a quiet, bitter truth that most ruin comes from the precise application of pressure to a point already under strain.
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”).
verb
- To make worse (a problem, bad situation, negative feeling, etc.).“Near-synonym: worsen”
Words closest in meaning
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