exacerbate (v.)

to make worse

Examples

• Stress exacerbates illness.

Key rules

• Exacerbate means make a problem worse
• Exacerbate + noun: exacerbate the problem
• Exacerbation is the noun

Common mistakes

• Stress exacerbates of illness → Stress exacerbates illness
• It exacerbated to the problem → It exacerbated the problem

Use cases

• Discussing health problems
• Describing social issues
• Writing policy analysis