How to Use exacerbate in a Sentence

exacerbate

verb
  • His angry comments have exacerbated tensions in the negotiation process.
  • The proposed factory shutdown would only exacerbate our unemployment problems.
  • While your hat isn't to blame, some fashions can exacerbate loss.
    — Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 8 Mar. 2026
  • This trio is free from sulfates (which can exacerbate rosacea) and parabens (which can dry out your hair).
    — Isabel Vasquez Rd Ldn, Health, 12 May 2023
  • Now, it’s just exacerbated by the fact that people don’t know what to say.
    — Lisa Deaderick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 June 2024
  • This exacerbated the split, on and off the bench, between left and right.
    — John A. Farrell, Smithsonian, 21 Mar. 2017
  • Never put water on a grease fire, which can exacerbate flames.
    — Kolbie Peterson, The Salt Lake Tribune, 4 Aug. 2022
  • Cats don’t always drink enough water, and dry foods can exacerbate this.
    — Bestreviews, Mercury News, 27 Apr. 2026
  • The key to choosing a night cream for oily skin is to find a rich cream that won’t exacerbate your skin type issues.
    — Daley Quinn, Health, 17 Feb. 2023
  • The kind of disease exacerbated by climate change is not new to the reefs.
    — Evan Halper, latimes.com, 9 July 2018
  • And this war is only going exacerbate their pain.
    — NBC news, 22 Mar. 2026
  • Sea-level rise is exacerbated by sea ice melt, and there’s no sign that’s slowing.
    — Hilary Whiteman, CNN, 19 Mar. 2025
  • And in spring, that problem is exacerbated by a lack of numbers.
    — Michael Lev, azcentral, 9 Mar. 2020
  • All of that is exacerbated by the lack of a secondary layer of attack up front.
    — The Athletic Nhl, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
  • This in turn causes cracks that are exacerbated by cars and trucks and soon become deep divots.
    — Jim Gorzelany, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
  • But this exacerbates a problem that has existed since the movie.
    — Daryl H. Miller, latimes.com, 12 July 2018
  • The gap in knowledge that would tend to come about during the summer will be exacerbated.
    — John Benson, cleveland, 27 Apr. 2020
  • Being in too big a rush to get ‘back to normal’ can exacerbate postpartum health risks.
    — Adriana Gallardo, ProPublica, 10 May 2022
  • That push and tug, in turn, will exacerbate the gap between the winners and losers going forward.
    — Fortune, 1 Mar. 2021
  • The tumult of the window and the team’s start to the season exacerbated the mood.
    — Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2025
  • Longer styles tend to work best on those with medium to thick hair densities, while exacerbating fine and thin hair.
    — Audrey Noble, InStyle, 10 Feb. 2026
  • There are certain foods and drinks that can exacerbate bloating, and some that may help relieve symptoms.
    — Olivia Morelli, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Oct. 2023
  • The team asked about certain liver and kidney issues that the drug might exacerbate.
    — Eric Boodman, STAT, 9 June 2020
  • Springing forward an hour mimics a move from the east to west edge of a time zone and exacerbates the deficits of those already there.
    — TIME, 9 Mar. 2024
  • That may exacerbate flooding in an area that received more than 14 inches of rain last month.
    — Janice Dean, Fox News, 9 Nov. 2020
  • Michkov’s lack of goals, exacerbated, of course, but his lack of legs and lungs was starting to wear on him mentally.
    — Kevin Kurz, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2025
  • This can exacerbate depressive symptoms or even bring them on.
    — Lauryn Higgins, Flow Space, 18 Feb. 2026
  • Tennis is not a huge sport in the country and this is exacerbated at the women’s level.
    — Tim Ellis, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
  • Mueller fears that the mounting pressures on farmers, exacerbated by the war, could lead some to hang up their hats for good.
    — Kayla Steinberg, NBC news, 2 Apr. 2026
  • That will be exacerbated this year by the RIF process.
    — Michelle Mullins, Chicago Tribune, 14 Mar. 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'exacerbate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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