exacerbate issues

[/ɪɡˈzæs.ər.beɪt ˈɪʃ.uːz/]
verb phrase
exacerbar problemas
1. to make problems, difficulties, or conflicts worse or more severe
The lack of communication only served to exacerbate issues between the two departments.
A falta de comunicação serviu apenas para exacerbar os problemas entre os dois departamentos.
2. to aggravate or intensify existing problems
Cutting the budget will exacerbate issues in healthcare services.
Cortar o orçamento vai exacerbar os problemas nos serviços de saúde.
3. to make a situation more annoying, painful, or tense
His comments only exacerbate the issues at hand.
Seus comentários apenas exacerbam os problemas em questão.
In Brazilian business contexts, 'exacerbar problemas' is used in formal communication and presentations, while 'piorar' is more colloquial. In American English, 'exacerbate' is frequently used in political discourse, healthcare discussions, and conflict resolution contexts to describe how actions intensify existing problems.
NYC Slang
make things worse; amp up the drama
Synonyms / Sinônimos
aggravate issuesworsen problemsintensify difficultiescompound problemsinflame issues
Antonyms / Antônimos
alleviate issuesresolve problemsmitigate difficultiesease tensionsimprove situations

Regional Variations

General Brazilian
exacerbar problemas
Most common usage in formal and informal contexts
Rio de Janeiro
piorar os problemas
More colloquial alternative used in everyday speech
São Paulo
agravar a situação
Common in business and formal contexts
Portugal
agravar os problemas
Preferred term in European Portuguese; 'exacerbar' is more formal

Related Words

exacerbateaggravatedeteriorateinflameintensifycompound

Related Idioms & Phrases

add fuel to the fire
salt in the wound
pour oil on troubled waters (antonym)
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