to increase the severity, violence, or bitterness of; aggravate
This word appears in the same article as a prior word of the day, plangent. Here is the quote for exacerbate: “Should there be a pandemic, Tamiflu would be in short supply. You should not exacerbate that shortage by abetting hoarding.” One time when I was a teacher I used this word in the classroom, and a bunch of the students started snickering. I had half a mind to tell them that if they kept laughing they’d go blind.
I’ll bet that some of your former students read your blog, remember the incident, and are laughing all over again. Funny.