as in worsening
to make more severe
a misconceived plan that only exacerbated the city's traffic problem
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Recent Examples of exacerbating
Greifinger, the correctional health expert, said the sheriff’s office should commission an independent mortality review to study whether any jail operations, staffing or other shortcomings are exacerbating external factors and resulting in preventable deaths.
—
Dallas Morning News, 19 Mar. 2026
Immigrant rights groups said the new federal guidelines create severe economic hardship for immigrant commercial drivers in California, who are lawfully qualified to work but cannot obtain licenses, exacerbating a truck driver shortage.
—Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2026
Combined, the sudden spike is expected to lead to price increases for many products, exacerbating the affordability crisis some Americans are already feeling.
—Tami Luhby, CNN Money, 17 Mar. 2026
Supply chain disruptions from closed airspace and waterways are also delaying aircraft maintenance, repair and operations (MRO), and exacerbating existing aircraft delivery delays from manufacturers like Airbus and Boeing.
—Angelica Ang, Fortune, 13 Mar. 2026
Further, according to the paper, when supply tightens, richer nations outbid poorer ones for scarce shipments, exacerbating challenges for vulnerable economies.
—Arkansas Online, 11 Mar. 2026
Attendees said health benefits cut deeply into teachers’ paychecks, exacerbating turnover.
—Emma Hall, Sacbee.com, 10 Mar. 2026
Rising concerns about technology and test scores Most states have rules that restrict cellphones in schools, based on concerns that phones and social media are disrupting education and exacerbating children’s mental health issues.
—Tyler Kingkade, NBC news, 10 Mar. 2026
Some Asian plants had also planned maintenance before the war broke out, exacerbating the situation.
—Nicholas Lua, Bloomberg, 9 Mar. 2026
Dallas Morning News, 19 Mar. 2026
Immigrant rights groups said the new federal guidelines create severe economic hardship for immigrant commercial drivers in California, who are lawfully qualified to work but cannot obtain licenses, exacerbating a truck driver shortage.
—Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2026
Combined, the sudden spike is expected to lead to price increases for many products, exacerbating the affordability crisis some Americans are already feeling.
—Tami Luhby, CNN Money, 17 Mar. 2026
Supply chain disruptions from closed airspace and waterways are also delaying aircraft maintenance, repair and operations (MRO), and exacerbating existing aircraft delivery delays from manufacturers like Airbus and Boeing.
—Angelica Ang, Fortune, 13 Mar. 2026
Further, according to the paper, when supply tightens, richer nations outbid poorer ones for scarce shipments, exacerbating challenges for vulnerable economies.
—Arkansas Online, 11 Mar. 2026
Attendees said health benefits cut deeply into teachers’ paychecks, exacerbating turnover.
—Emma Hall, Sacbee.com, 10 Mar. 2026
Rising concerns about technology and test scores Most states have rules that restrict cellphones in schools, based on concerns that phones and social media are disrupting education and exacerbating children’s mental health issues.
—Tyler Kingkade, NBC news, 10 Mar. 2026
Some Asian plants had also planned maintenance before the war broke out, exacerbating the situation.
—Nicholas Lua, Bloomberg, 9 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for exacerbating
Verb
-
But lower rates risk worsening inflation.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
21 Mar. 2026
-
The worsening situation also has sparked small protests.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The impact of the war in the Middle East is deepening in economies far beyond the region as energy prices spike, forcing experts to reassess the risk of a global recession.—
Jeronimo Gonzalez,
semafor.com,
17 Mar. 2026
-
Díaz-Canel acknowledged last week that his government is in talks with Washington, a rare public admission that came as Cuba faces deepening economic turmoil and energy shortages.—
Ivan Taylor,
CBS News,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The Persian Gulf conflict threatens to reignite inflation while slowing growth, further complicating the Fed’s work.—
Andrew Ackerman,
Washington Post,
18 Mar. 2026
-
The virtual shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz is unnerving the world economy, driving up energy and fertilizer prices, threatening food shortages in poor countries, destabilizing fragile states and complicating efforts by central banks to drive down prices for consumers.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
17 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Exacerbating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exacerbating. Accessed 21 Mar. 2026.
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