exacerberen

Exacerberen is a Dutch verb meaning to make something worse or more severe, especially symptoms, conditions, or tensions. It is used primarily in formal or technical contexts such as medicine, psychology, public health, and policy analysis. In everyday language, more common synonyms are verergeren or verzwaren.

Etymology and usage notes: Exacerberen is a loanword that ultimately derives from Latin exacerbare (to make harsher), via French and/or English. In Dutch, it typically appears with negative phenomena, for example, symptoms or diseases exacerberen, or a conflict being exacerbated by certain actions. The term is more common in written or technical prose than in casual speech.

Context and nuance: Exacerberen often conveys not just a simple worsening but an intensification of harm or difficulty. It can describe medical worsening, as in the exacerbation or acute aggravation of symptoms, as well as social or political situations where tensions or crises are intensified. Because of its formal tone, speakers may choose verergeren in everyday language while reserving exacerberen for scientific, clinical, or policy-oriented writing.

Related terms: Verergeren, verzwaren, toename, and the noun exacerbatie or exacerbatie (exacerbation) are commonly used to describe the process or event of worsening. In medical contexts, exacerbatie or exacerbatie van een aandoening is a standard phrase.

See also: verergeren; exacerbatie/exacerbatie; medische terminologie.