ESCALATING Synonyms: 100 Similar and Opposite Words

escalating

verb

present participle of escalate

as in increasing

to become greater in extent, volume, amount, or number as the war between the two countries escalated, it threatened to become a global conflict

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in accelerating

to make greater in size, amount, or number the president promised to escalate the government's program to combat the dreaded disease

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of escalating The State Department on Wednesday ordered nonemergency government employees and their families to leave Saudi Arabia amid escalating attacks by the Houthis on Saudi infrastructure. — Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 22 Oct. 2026 The escalating tensions have also sent global oil shipping costs soaring, adding another layer of pressure to energy markets. — Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 21 Oct. 2026 Since its premiere last week and subsequent successful box office, awards season buzz has been escalating around the film, Fielder and co-director Lance Oppenheim. — Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026 More protests unraveled in Spain, Belgium and Portugal over the past few weeks, with tensions escalating since the weekend. — Laure Guilbault, Vogue, 20 Oct. 2026 Riot police deployed tear gas across the streets near Place de la République in an attempt to disperse crowds during the escalating street battles, the same source reported. — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 20 Oct. 2026 The White House decision has heightened fears that Ukraine could be left exposed to Moscow's escalating attacks as winter approaches. — Arkansas Online, 18 Oct. 2026 The need for food assistance, housing support, and healthcare services is escalating. — Charlotte Observer, 14 Oct. 2026 Clements is accused of escalating the frequent abuse into making the boy perform oral sex. — Shun Graves, Chicago Tribune, 14 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for escalating

Verb

Beyond domestic challenges, CATL is also scrambling to build more plants in Europe to avoid running afoul of increasing EU protectionism.

— Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 21 Oct. 2026
While the disease remains more common among women over 50, diagnoses among younger women are increasing, prompting cancer specialists to encourage earlier conversations about individual risk.

— Melissa May, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of increasing

Verb

Heading across the middle as Mahomes settled into the pocket, Worthy initially seemed to settle into the middle of the field before accelerating again toward the sideline.

— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 20 Oct. 2026
Strong revenue growth, and accelerating demand for our clothes globally, tells us there is a genuine appetite for our British modern luxury proposition.

— Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of accelerating

Verb

Fighting autocracy and inequality The Ford Foundation frames its new plan as its answer to rising autocracy, widening inequality, and fading public trust.

— Sydney Lake, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
This was in 2024 and 2025, when the AI craze was in full swing and Claude and ChatGPT adoption was rising.

— Brian Jenney, IEEE Spectrum, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of rising

Verb

The four countries agreed Monday to continue talks on expanding cooperation among them, particularly about regional peace and security, a statement said.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 27 Oct. 2026
Some brands are expanding their use of advance material and capacity commitments, while delaying final decisions on color, SKU quantities or market allocation.

— Jessica Binns, Vogue, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of expanding

Verb

Government bond investors want cuts to public spending, less borrowing and business-friendly measures aimed at boosting growth, such as reversing some of the payroll tax increases introduced under Reeves.

— Ian King, CNBC, 27 Oct. 2026
As Ohio Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy came under fire for releasing an attack ad featuring his Democratic competitor’s estranged mother, a mysterious news site was running a Facebook ad boosting the controversial video.

— Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of boosting

Verb

Then there's the long-standing fascination with augmenting human capabilities with electronics.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 23 Oct. 2026
After principal photography wrapped, many months would be spent in post-production augmenting the voices to create the right tone and weave them into the overall soundscape.

— Alex Ritman, Variety, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of augmenting

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escalates

escalating

escalation

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Style

“Escalating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/escalating. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of escalating

verb

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