His harsh words acerbated her feelings of sadness.
acerbate situation
Frequency:
60
%
The unexpected news acerbated the already tense situation.
acerbate conflict
Frequency:
50
%
The misunderstanding only served to acerbate the conflict between them.
Idiomatic Expressions for acerbate
Phrase: acerbate a situation
Meaning: to make a situation more difficult or tense
Usage: His harsh criticism only served to acerbate the already tense atmosphere in the meeting.