/ɪɡˈzæs.ə.beɪt/ · verb
exacerbate
làm trầm trọng thêm — khiến một tình huống vốn đã xấu trở nên tồi tệ hơn.
The upgrade in 5 seconds
make the housing problem worse
exacerbate the housing crisis
No definition. No dictionary. Just the sentence, made better.
Section 02
The Common Mistake
Many IELTS candidates lean on make worse and worsen.
There's nothing wrong with “make worse” — but it's a phrasal, everyday choice. In academic writing it quietly caps your Lexical Resource.
“Yes — that's exactly how I write, too.”
Section 03
The Better Choice
This is the step from Band 6 to Band 7 — not a harder word, a more precise one.
Section 04
Why It Works
“Make worse” just says a situation declined. “Exacerbate” says you made an already bad situation worse — the cause-and-effect is built into the verb.
That's why it's a favourite in problem–solution essays. One verb replaces a whole clause and pairs with negative abstract nouns (problem, tension, inequality, crisis, shortage) — the move Band 8 rewards.
Section 05 · The core of the lesson
Upgrade Matrix
Watch one idea climb from Band 6 to Band 9 — same meaning, rising precision.
Cutting down forests makes climate change worse.
Correct, but “makes worse” is informal and wordy.
Cutting down forests exacerbates climate change.
Stronger verb, though the subject could be more precise.
Widespread deforestation exacerbates the effects of climate change.
Natural collocation + a precise subject. This is the target.
Widespread deforestation exacerbates the effects of climate change by reducing the planet's capacity to absorb carbon.
Developed cause-and-effect, fully controlled.
Rising prices make poverty worse.
Fine, but flat and predictable.
Rising living costs exacerbate poverty.
“Exacerbate poverty” is a precise, academic collocation.
Rising living costs exacerbate existing inequality, pushing more families below the poverty line.
Specific, causal, and tightly argued.
Section 06 · Read against the band descriptors
Examiner's Insight
How this word measures up against the public IELTS Writing & Speaking band descriptors — an editorial read, not a real examiner's verdict.
In Writing Task 2, “exacerbate existing inequality” is the kind of phrasing the band descriptors reward — not because the word is rare, but because it names a cause-and-effect relationship precisely. It's evidence of control over academic register, not just vocabulary size.
Section 07
Native Radar
Not about grammar — about whether a native speaker would actually say it.
-
Native would naturally say
measures that could exacerbate the crisis
-
Native might say
exacerbate the pain
Correct in a medical sense, but quite literal — fine, just narrower.
-
Native almost never says
exacerbate happiness
Exacerbate needs something negative — you can't exacerbate good things.
Section 08 · Under 5 minutes
Active Recall
01 Rewrite using exacerbate: “Social media can make anxiety worse.”
Model answer
Social media can exacerbate anxiety.
02 Choose the stronger collocation: exacerbate success / exacerbate tensions.
Answer
exacerbate tensions — precise and academic.
03 Complete naturally: “A poor diet can ______ existing health conditions.”
Answer
exacerbate — “exacerbate a condition” is a perfect pairing.
Exacerbate worsens what is already bad —
never something good.
If you forget everything else, keep this.
Section 10 · Editorial rating
Examiner Score
Section 11 · The editor closes
Final Verdict
Exacerbate is one of the sharpest cause-and-effect verbs in academic English. It isn't for showing off — it's what you reach for when “make worse” feels too plain. The moment you write “exacerbate the problem” instead of “make the problem worse,” your argument sounds analytical.
Learn it once, pair it with negative nouns — problem, tension, inequality, crisis — and it will strengthen almost every problem–solution essay you write.
One upgraded word, every day.
Each issue shows exactly how one word lifts your Writing and Speaking band.
Read a sample first · No spam · Unsubscribe anytime