exacerbate
v.v. to make a bad situation, feeling, or problem much worse. You use this when something already difficult becomes even more difficult.
v. to make a condition, situation, or feeling worse. Transitive — requires a direct object representing the negative state being intensified.
The cold weather exacerbates my allergies.
The manager's harsh criticism exacerbated the tension in the office, leading to several employees leaving early.
Economic instability often exacerbates social inequalities, as the most vulnerable members of the population are the first to lose their jobs and savings.
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”).