exacerbating

verb

present participle of exacerbate
as in worsening
to make more severe a misconceived plan that only exacerbated the city's traffic problem

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 exacerbating These fabrics can take hundreds of years to degrade, releasing microplastics into the air and soil, exacerbating the global issue of microplastic pollution. — Catherine Salfino, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2026 Middle East disruption and Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries are exacerbating a global squeeze on refined products, prices of which are set to remain elevated into next year. — Jenni Reid, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2026 Just as the industry began recovering from a multiyear freight slowdown, the administration began cracking down on immigrant drivers earlier this year, exacerbating the impact from the erratic tariff announcements. — Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026 Some of us would like to spend less time cursing sun damage, some of us have been honing a gentle routine for managing acne for years, and some of us want to smooth without exacerbating rosacea or eczema. — Elizabeth Siegel, Allure, 17 Sep. 2026 Analysts said that the revelation by Washington confirmed an open secret but the timing of the announcement risked exacerbating tensions with Beijing and the risk of a weapons race in space. — CBS News, 15 Sep. 2026 Gallup polling shows public confidence in schools generally has declined since the COVID-19 pandemic closed classrooms, exacerbating academic declines, mental health issues and other problems. — Jocelyn Gecker, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2026 Harder to pay down debt The relentlessly high gas prices are exacerbating the affordability crisis affecting many Americans. — Chris Isidore, CNN Money, 7 Sep. 2026 Heat is rarely the sole cause of death, often exacerbating existing health conditions. — Alejandra Borunda, NPR, 2 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for exacerbating
  1. worsening
  2. deepening
  3. complicating
Verb
  • The victim went to the campus health clinic in August with worsening finger tingling and numbness, and leg weakness.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Stocks dropped to their worst day since July on Wednesday after the latest signal that inflation is worsening.
    — Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of worsening
Verb
  • Building skills in lower-wage origin jobs, deepening them in gateway jobs, and applying them to reach higher-paying destination jobs is how workers thrive and our talent pool expands.
    — Byron Auguste, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Last week, Kenya became the second country after Uganda to report an Ebola case imported from Congo, deepening concerns about the virus spreading across borders.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of deepening
Verb
  • Further complicating the government's efforts to bring the French deficit under control are nationwide student protests, which have rippled outward from Paris since late September.
    — Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Unlike a conventional ballistic missile’s warhead, a hypersonic glide vehicle is built to maneuver during flight, potentially complicating an opponent’s efforts to track and intercept it.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of complicating

Browse Nearby Words

exacerbates
exacerbating
exact
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Cite this Entry

“Exacerbating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exacerbating. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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