← Back to Fala2Me
aggravate fears
[ˈæɡrəveɪt fɪrz]
verb phrase
agravar medos
1.
to make fears worse or more intense; to intensify or worsen someone's anxiety or apprehension
The constant news coverage only served to aggravate fears about the economy.
A cobertura jornalística constante apenas serviu para agravar os medos sobre a economia.
2.
to exacerbate or increase the severity of anxieties
His silence seemed to aggravate fears among the team members.
Seu silêncio parecia agravar os medos entre os membros da equipe.
Synonyms
intensify fears
worsen fears
exacerbate fears
heighten fears
increase anxiety
compound fears
amplify fears
Antonyms
alleviate fears
ease fears
calm fears
mitigate fears
reduce anxiety
soothe fears
diminish fears
Regional Variations
General Brazilian
agravar medos / piorar medos
Both forms are commonly used in Brazilian Portuguese
São Paulo
agravar medos
Formal standard usage
Portugal
agravar medos / intensificar medos
Both expressions are standard in European Portuguese
Related Idioms & Phrases
stir up fears
fan the flames of fear
play on someone's fears
feed into fears
compound the problem
Look up more words on Fala2Me
The free English-Portuguese dictionary with real Brazilian accents, NYC slang, conjugator and more
Open Fala2Me →