escalation
n.a situation where something becomes more serious, intense, or dangerous very quickly. You often hear this when talking about arguments or wars.
n.an increase in the intensity, scope, or severity of a situation, particularly a conflict or crisis. Often implies a rapid or uncontrolled progression beyond previous limits.
“The escalation of the argument led to a loud fight.”
“Diplomats are working hard to prevent a further escalation of the border dispute into a full-scale war.”
“The sudden escalation in energy prices forced the government to reconsider its long-term economic strategy and implement immediate subsidies for low-income households.”
Uncountable when referring to the general process of increasing; countable when referring to a specific instance or event.
“In a recent escalation, Saudi-flagged ships in the Bab al-Mandeb-Red Sea-Gulf of Aden route have come under repeated attack from Iran-backed Houthi fighters in Yemen.”
“Vietnam faced a 46% tariff, Indonesia 32%, and Brazil 50% (after an escalation from 10%).”
From escalate + -ion.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.