If something exacerbates a problem or bad situation, it makes it worse. Longstanding poverty has been exacerbated by racial divisions. = aggravate + exacerbation ex·ac·er·ba·tion the exacerbation of global problems. to make a bad situation worse (past participle of exacerbare, from acerbus )
[ ig-'za-s&r-"bAt ] (transitive verb.) 1660. Latin exacerbatus, past participle of exacerbare, from ex- + acerbus harsh, bitter, from acer sharp; more at EDGE.