different between inimical vs exacerbate

English

Etymology

From Late Latin inim?c?lis (“hostile”), from inim?cus (“enemy”) (from in- (“not”) + am?cus (“friend”)) + -?lis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??n?m?k?l/

Adjective

inimical (comparative more inimical, superlative most inimical)

1. Harmful in effect.
2. Unfriendly, hostile.

   Her inimical attitude precludes romance.

Synonyms

• inimic, inimicable, antagonistic

Related terms

• inimically
• enemy

Translations

English

Etymology

From Latin exacerbo (“to provoke”); ex (“out of; thoroughly”) + acerbo (“to embitter, harshen or worsen”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /???zæs??be?t/, /?k?sæs-/
• (US) enPR: ?g-z?s'?r-b?t, IPA^(key): /???zæs??be?t/

Verb

exacerbate (third-person singular simple present exacerbates, present participle exacerbating, simple past and past participle exacerbated)

1. (transitive) To make worse (a problem, bad situation, negative feeling, etc.); aggravate; exasperate.

   The proposed shutdown would exacerbate unemployment problems.

   • 2013, Louise Taylor, English talent gets left behind as Premier League keeps importing (in The Guardian, 20 August 2013)[1]

     The reasons for this growing disconnect are myriad and complex but the situation is exacerbated by the reality that those English players who do smash through our game's "glass ceiling" command radically inflated transfer fees.

Derived terms

• exacerbatingly
• exacerbation

Related terms

• acerbate

Translations

See also

• exasperate

References

• Douglas Harper (2001–2021) , “exacerbate”, in Online Etymology Dictionary

Latin

Verb

exacerb?te

1. second-person plural present active imperative of exacerb?