7 results for: exacerbate

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
ex·ac·er·bate    Audio Help   [ig-zas-er-beyt, ek-sas-] Pronunciation Key
–verb (used with object), -bat·ed, -bat·ing.
1.to increase the severity, bitterness, or violence of (disease, ill feeling, etc.); aggravate.
2.to embitter the feelings of (a person); irritate; exasperate.

[Origin: 1650–60; < L exacerbātus (ptp. of exacerbāre to exasperate, provoke), equiv. to ex- ex-1 + acerbātus acerbate]

ex·ac·er·bat·ing·ly, adverb
ex·ac·er·ba·tion, noun

1. intensify, inflame, worsen.
1. relieve, soothe, alleviate.
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
exacerbate

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
ex·ac·er·bate    Audio Help   (ĭg-zās'ər-bāt')  Pronunciation Key 
tr.v.   ex·ac·er·bat·ed, ex·ac·er·bat·ing, ex·ac·er·bates
To increase the severity, violence, or bitterness of; aggravate: a speech that exacerbated racial tensions; a heavy rainfall that exacerbated the flood problems.


[Latin exacerbāre, exacerbāt- : ex-, intensive pref.; see ex- + acerbāre, to make harsh (from acerbus, harsh; see ak- in Indo-European roots).]

ex·ac'er·ba'tion n.
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WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
exacerbate

verb
1. make worse; "This drug aggravates the pain" [syn: worsen] [ant: ameliorate
2. exasperate or irritate 

WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Main Entry: ex·ac·er·bate
Pronunciation: ig-'zas-&r-"bAt
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Forms: -bat·ed; -bat·ing
: to cause (a disease or its symptoms) to become more severe <her condition was exacerbated by lack of care> —ex·ac·er·ba·tion /-"zas-&r-'bA-sh&n/ noun

Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Exacerbate

Ex*ac"er*bate\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Exacerrated; p. pr. & vb. n. Exacerrating.] [L. exacerbatus, p. p. of exacerbare; ex out (intens.) + acerbare. See Acerbate.] To render more violent or bitter; to irriate; to exasperate; to imbitter, as passions or disease. --Broughman.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Dictionary.com Word of the Day Archive - Cite This Source - Share This

exacerbate

exacerbate was Word of the Day on October 3, 1999.

Dictionary.com Word of the Day

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