Exacerbate

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ɪɡˈzæsɚˌbeɪt/

Definitions

1. To make something worse, more severe, or more intense than it already is
2. To intensify the severity or gravity of a problem, condition, or conflict, thereby making it increasingly difficult to manage or resolve
3. To make a situation, condition, or problem more severe, intense, or difficult to manage

Etymology: The verb "exacerbate" began life in Latin as a word about provocation. Latin "exacerbō" meant "to provoke," and its roots combine "ex-", meaning "out of" or "thoroughly," with "acerbō," meaning "to embitter, harshen or worsen." The Latin "acerbus" that lies behind "acerbō" described something sour, bitter or harsh to the taste, and Romans applied the same word to hostile or unpleasant circumstances. English borrowed the word directly from the Latin past participle "exacerbātus," and the earliest recorded English use dates to 1660. The verb therefore arrived in English as a fairly formal, learned term, which is why it still sounds more deliberate than everyday words for making things worse. The "-ate" ending is the standard Latin verb-forming suffix, which English adopted for many borrowed verbs, so the word's structure is transparent: a prefix intensifying a root meaning bitterness, plus the suffix that turns it into a verb.

Synonyms: aggravate, intensify, worsen, heighten, amplify

Antonyms: alleviate, mitigate, ease, reduce, calm