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 effort to combat escalating instances of counterfeiting coincides with statewide efforts to tamp down retail crime. — Kate Nishimura, Footwear News, 2 Sep. 2026 An escalating tit-for-tat tariff battle with Canada could harm businesses and consumers in northern border states. — Garrett Downs, CNBC, 2 Sep. 2026 European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the European Union was preparing additional sanctions against Russia, while Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk accused Moscow of escalating tensions across the region. — Brittany Miller, FOXNews.com, 2 Sep. 2026 Lilly recommends escalating Zepbound doses until patients reach their maintenance dose. — Ken Alltucker, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026 An agent with the policy, the loss details and the carrier's guidelines can handle it, escalating anything that does not fit. — Manish Garg, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2026 The region is home to aluminum producers, dairy farms and other industries caught in the escalating trade war. — ABC News, 1 Sep. 2026 The airstrikes marked the latest in a string of escalating attacks by Russia on Ukraine over the last two weeks. — Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 1 Sep. 2026 The result is an escalating incentive structure for both the tournament and creators to build their respective audiences—even as core tennis fans are feeling priced out. — Sara Germano, Sportico.com, 1 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for escalating

Verb

The team stopped at 800 N because increasing the load further would require additional protective equipment, with a separate destructive limit test planned.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 3 Sep. 2026
Rattlesnake sightings are increasing across Texas, with warnings issued at schools and athletic fields.

— Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of increasing

Verb

Insulet’s international growth has been accelerating, with revenue rising between 30% and 32%, and full-year earnings per share growth anticipated to jump more than 30% from a year earlier.

— Harvey Stober, CNBC, 1 Sep. 2026
Artificial intelligence is accelerating the trend by helping organizations analyze data faster and act on it more effectively.

— Dirk Naylor, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of accelerating

Verb

Axel Springer is expanding in the Middle East, joining a growing number of Western publishers with an editorial presence in the region — and testing a key pillar of its editorial beliefs.

— Max Tani, semafor.com, 31 Aug. 2026
Mamdani’s signature 2-K program is scheduled to launch this fall with 2,000 students in select school districts, with the goal of expanding citywide over four years.

— Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of expanding

Verb

That mix of showers and storms continue for the rest of the week, ramping up over the weekend, with wet weather chances swelling to 60% Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

— Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 25 Aug. 2026
The condition may have caused pain and produced a deformation or swelling on her chest.

— Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of swelling

Verb

Most claims about cornstarch in gardening, such as repelling ants or boosting water retention, lack scientific evidence.

— Leanne Potts, Better Homes & Gardens, 30 Aug. 2026
The city of Atlanta has secured up to $50 million in philanthropic funding for Mayor Andre Dickens’ legacy project aimed at boosting development in historically underserved neighborhoods.

— Shaddi Abusaid, AJC.com, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of boosting

Verb

Dana Williams, American High School The highest-performing students are augmenting their brainpower with AI.

— Dana Williams, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026
North Korea has also become an industrious manufacturer of war drones, augmenting Moscow’s capacity to produce the unmanned aerial vehicles that have defined the conflict.

— Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of augmenting

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escalates

escalating

escalation

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“Escalating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/escalating. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of escalating

verb

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