Dictionary
ex•ac•er•bate
Pronunciation: (ig-zas'ur-bāt", ek-sas'-), [key]—
v.t., -bat•ed, -bat•ing.
1. to increase the severity, bitterness, or violence of (disease, ill feeling, etc.); aggravate.
2. to embitter the feelings of (a person); irritate; exasperate.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.