To exacerbate means to make a bad situation, problem, or feeling even worse. It does not create the problem, but it intensifies it.
It comes from Latin 'exacerbare', meaning 'to make harsh or bitter', from 'ex-' (thoroughly) and 'acerbus' (bitter, harsh). The word kept that sense of making something more severe or painful.
If you shout during an argument, you don’t start the conflict—you exacerbate it. The word is a good reminder that some actions don’t fix problems or leave them alone; they actively pour fuel on them.
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