exacerbated

[ ig-zas-er-bey-tid, ek-sas- ]

adjective

1. made worse, more severe, or more bitter; aggravated:

   The Economic Policy Institute recently released a study showing evidence of an exacerbated income gap between rich and poor.

2. feeling or showing embitterment, irritation, or exasperation:

   With an exacerbated huff, the gunslinger hauled a second revolver from his shoulder, training its barrel on the captain.

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of exacerbate ( def ).

Other Words From

• un·ex·ac·er·bat·ed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of exacerbated¹

exacerbate ( def ) + -ed ²( def )

Example Sentences

They and the physician plaintiffs seek to establish that Idaho’s law allows an abortion whenever a patient has a physical medical condition or complication that makes it unsafe to continue a pregnancy, has a condition exacerbated by pregnancy that can’t otherwise be easily treated, or is told about a fetal condition that is likely to be fatal after birth.

From Slate

Such reticence might be exacerbated by the existence of the so-called warrior board.

From Los Angeles Times

His fear that white Americans were being replaced by an army of invaders who must be repelled seemed to me symptoms of a reactive white supremacy, exacerbated by worries over scarcity brought on by the radically changing environment.

From Salon

The outcry was exacerbated by the attacks occurring on the eve of the anniversary of Kristallnacht - Nazi pogroms against German Jews that took place in 1938.

From BBC

Vaccine hesitancy is one piece of a growing distrust in public health exacerbated by the government’s pandemic response that many experts fear will only deepen with the new Trump Administration.

From Salon