Exacerbations

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The act or process of making a situation worse or more severe
2. Instances of intensifying an already negative or problematic state
3. Episodes characterized by an increase in severity of symptoms or suffering

Etymology: "Exacerbations" is the plural of "exacerbation", so the core story belongs to the verb "exacerbate". That verb came into English from Latin "exacerbāre", meaning "to provoke" or "to make harsh", built from "ex-", meaning "thoroughly" or "out", and "acerbus", meaning "bitter" or "sour" in taste and temper. The adjective "acerbic" shares that same root, so a remark that stings and a condition that worsens are, at bottom, both described as sharp to the tongue. The noun "exacerbation" entered English through Middle English, arriving from Latin "exacerbātiōnem", the noun form of the same verb. Its earliest sense was the act of making something angry, bitter or more severe, and that sense of provocation survived alongside the later medical use, where a disease that flares up again is said to suffer an exacerbation.

Synonyms: intensifications, aggravations, worsenings, deteriorations, heightenings

Antonyms: improvements, ameliorations, reliefs, alleviations, calmings