# exacerbate

> English word · Verb · IPA /ɪɡˈzæsɚˌbeɪt/ · frequency rank #31,972

## Definitions
1. To make worse (a problem, bad situation, negative feeling, etc.).

## Etymology
First attested in 1660; borrowed from Latin exacerbātus, perfect passive participle of Latin exacerbō (“to provoke”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from ex- (“out of; thoroughly”) + acerbō (“to embitter, harshen or worsen”).

## Common misspellings (14)
`eaxcerbate`, `exaccerbate`, `exacebrate`, `exacerabte`, `exacerbaet`, `exacerbatte`, `exacerbbate`, `exacerbtae`, `exacerrbate`, `exacrebate`, `exaecrbate`, `excaerbate`, `exxacerbate`, `xeacerbate`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/exacerbate