as in worsening
to make more severe
a misconceived plan that only exacerbated the city's traffic problem
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of exacerbating
Those with chronic conditions may skip vital medications and appointments, exacerbating illnesses like diabetes.
—
Omer Awan,
Forbes.com,
27 June 2026
Drought is exacerbating the red flag conditions after Utah experienced its lowest-ever snowpack this year.
—
Suzanne Gamboa,
NBC news,
26 June 2026
The announcements come as the rapid expansion of AI data centers heightens demand for computing power, exacerbating a chip shortage.
—
Mary Cunningham,
CBS News,
25 June 2026
Scientists warn that climate change is exacerbating the frequency and intensity of heat and dryness, especially in southeastern Europe, making the region more vulnerable to health effects and wildfires.
—
Samuel Petrequin,
Los Angeles Times,
23 June 2026
Data center expansion also increases demand for water used in cooling systems, exacerbating local water stress and indirectly affecting sanitation, heat mitigation, and overall community health.
—
Patricia J. Kissinger,
STAT,
18 June 2026
The waterway is critical to global trade, especially oil — and the blockades imposed on it have shocked energy markets, exacerbating inflation in the US.
—
June 16,
NPR,
16 June 2026
Inflation crossed 4 percent for the first time in three years in May, exacerbating Americans’ pain at the pump and dealing a fresh political blow to the White House, as the Iran war’s toll on consumers shows no sign of abating.
—
Andrew Ackerman,
Washington Post,
10 June 2026
Another flare-up in tensions in Iran is exacerbating the negative sentiment.
—
Leonie Kidd,
CNBC,
10 June 2026
Omer Awan,
Forbes.com,
27 June 2026
Drought is exacerbating the red flag conditions after Utah experienced its lowest-ever snowpack this year.
—
Suzanne Gamboa,
NBC news,
26 June 2026
The announcements come as the rapid expansion of AI data centers heightens demand for computing power, exacerbating a chip shortage.
—
Mary Cunningham,
CBS News,
25 June 2026
Scientists warn that climate change is exacerbating the frequency and intensity of heat and dryness, especially in southeastern Europe, making the region more vulnerable to health effects and wildfires.
—
Samuel Petrequin,
Los Angeles Times,
23 June 2026
Data center expansion also increases demand for water used in cooling systems, exacerbating local water stress and indirectly affecting sanitation, heat mitigation, and overall community health.
—
Patricia J. Kissinger,
STAT,
18 June 2026
The waterway is critical to global trade, especially oil — and the blockades imposed on it have shocked energy markets, exacerbating inflation in the US.
—
June 16,
NPR,
16 June 2026
Inflation crossed 4 percent for the first time in three years in May, exacerbating Americans’ pain at the pump and dealing a fresh political blow to the White House, as the Iran war’s toll on consumers shows no sign of abating.
—
Andrew Ackerman,
Washington Post,
10 June 2026
Another flare-up in tensions in Iran is exacerbating the negative sentiment.
—
Leonie Kidd,
CNBC,
10 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for exacerbating
Verb
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Accelerating these efforts is crucial to protect children from worsening climate impacts.
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Over several days, the boy was taken to clinics and emergency rooms as doctors searched for the cause of his worsening symptoms, the report said.
Verb
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Without a unified, clean, and accessible data structure, AI outputs quickly become ambiguous, hallucinated, and diluted, deepening the clarity crisis rather than resolving it.
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State Street granted Saudi fund administration license State Street has secured a fund administration license in Saudi Arabia, thereby deepening the presence of one of the world’s biggest custodian banks in the kingdom.
Verb
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Scientists have not even fully determined which pollutants pose the greatest risks to firefighters, further complicating a choice.
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Opponents, however, see the measure as overly reliant on standardized testing that doesn’t account for complicating factors like poverty, class size and access to resources.
Cite this Entry
“Exacerbating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exacerbating. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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