exacerbated
adj.adj. made worse or more serious than before.
adj. describing a situation, problem, or negative feeling that has been made more intense or severe. Often used predicatively after a linking verb or as a participial adjective modifying a noun.
The heavy rain exacerbated the flooding in the city.
The existing housing shortage was exacerbated by the sudden influx of seasonal workers during the harvest.
Economists argue that while the new policy was intended to stabilize the market, it ultimately exacerbated the very volatility it sought to suppress by triggering a wave of panic selling.
Often follows a linking verb like 'was' or 'became'; frequently pairs with nouns like 'problem', 'condition', or 'tension'.
The medicine exacerbated his healthThe medicine exacerbated his illnessExacerbated is used for negative things (problems, pain, illness); you do not exacerbate a neutral or positive noun like 'health'.