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exacerbate dread

[ɪɡˈzæsərbeɪt dred]
verb phrase
exacerbar o pavor / intensificar o medo
1. to make fear, anxiety, or a feeling of dread worse or more intense
The dark clouds began to exacerbate dread among the passengers on the ship.
As nuvens escuras começaram a intensificar o pavor entre os passageiros do navio.
2. to aggravate or worsen an existing sense of apprehension or terror
His silence only served to exacerbate dread in the waiting room.
Seu silêncio apenas serviu para exacerbar o medo na sala de espera.
NYC Slang
amp up the fear / make things scarier
Synonyms
aggravate fearintensify dreadheighten anxietyworsen apprehensiondeepen terroramplify fear
Antonyms
alleviate dreadease fearcalm anxietyrelieve apprehensiondiminish fear

Regional Variations

General Brazilian
exacerbar o pavor / intensificar o medo
Most common usage in Brazilian Portuguese
São Paulo
piorar o medo / agravар о pavor
Colloquial usage in urban São Paulo context
Portugal
agravar o pavor / intensificar o temor
European Portuguese variant, sometimes using 'temor' for dread
Rio de Janeiro
aumentar o medo / piorar a angústia
Colloquial variant using 'angústia' for dread

Related Idioms & Phrases

strike fear into someone's heart
prey on someone's mind
send shivers down one's spine
fill someone with dread
pile on the terror
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