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tr.v. ex·ac·er·bat·ed, ex·ac·er·bat·ing, ex·ac·er·bates To increase the severity, violence, or bitterness of; aggravate: a speech that exacerbated racial tensions; a heavy rainfall that exacerbated the flood problems. [Latin exacerbāre, exacerbāt- : ex-, intensive pref.; see EX- + acerbāre, to make harsh (from acerbus, harsh; see ak- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots).] ex·ac′er·bation n. |
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