noun ·Uncommon ·College level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   An increase in the severity of something (such as a disease) uncountable, usually
2. 2
   action that makes a problem or a disease (or its symptoms) worse wordnet
3. 3
   violent and bitter exasperation wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms

aggravationaggravationaccelerandoaccelerationagitationamplification

Antonyms

All antonyms

amelioration

Etymology

From Middle English exacerbacyoun, from Latin exacerbātiōnem, from exacerbāre (“to provoke, make harsh”). See exacerbate.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.