FreeVocabulary
Exacerbate
/ɪɡˈzæsərˌbeɪt/ verb hardTo make an already bad or difficult situation even worse.
Skipping physical therapy only exacerbated his knee injury.
Memory Trick
Exacerbate contains a root related to 'acerbic,' meaning bitter or sharp — to exacerbate is to make things more bitter still.