| Main Entry: | |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | make or grow bigger; increase |
| Synonyms: | add to, aggrandize, amplify, augment, beef up, blow up, boost, broaden, build, bulk, develop, diffuse, dilate, distend, elaborate, elongate, embroider, exaggerate, expand, expatiate, extend, give details, grow, grow larger, heighten, inflate, jack up, jazz up, lengthen, magnify, make larger, mount, multiply, pad, pyramid, rise, slap on, snowball, spread, stretch, swell, upsurge, wax, widen |
| Antonyms: | abridge, compress, condense, curtail, decrease, diminish, lessen, lower, reduce, shrink |
| Main Entry: | escalate |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | increase, be increased |
| Synonyms: | amplify, ascend, broaden, climb, enlarge, expand, extend, grow, heighten, intensify, magnify, make worse, mount, raise, rise, scale, step up, widen |
| Antonyms: | decrease, diminish, lessen, lower, weaken |
| Main Entry: | exacerbate |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | infuriate; make worse |
| Synonyms: | add insult to injury, aggravate, annoy, egg on, embitter, enrage, envenom, exasperate, excite, fan the flames, feed the fire, go from bad to worse, heat up, heighten, hit on, increase, inflame, intensify, irritate, madden, provoke, push one's button, rattle one's cage, rub salt in a wound, vex, worsen |
| Notes: | to aggravate is to make something worse, while to exacerbate is to increase something's bitterness or harshness |
| Antonyms: | aid, calm, comfort, help, soothe |
| Main Entry: | exaggerate |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | overstate, embellish |
| Synonyms: | amplify, blow out of proportion, boast, boost, brag, build up, caricature, color, cook up, corrupt, distort, embroider, emphasize, enlarge, exalt, expand, fabricate, falsify, fudge, go to extremes, heighten, hike, hyperbolize, inflate, intensify, lay it on thick, lie, loud talk, magnify, make too much of, misquote, misreport, misrepresent, overdo, overdraw, overemphasize, overestimate, pad, pretty up, puff, put on, pyramid, romance, romanticize, scam, stretch, up* |
| Antonyms: | depreciate, minimize, play down, reduce, understate |
| Main Entry: | expand |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | extend, augment |
| Synonyms: | aggrandize, amplify, beef up, bloat, blow up, bolster, broaden, bulk up, burgeon, detail, develop, diffuse, dilate, distend, elaborate, embellish, enlarge, explicate, fan out, fatten, fill out, grow, heighten, hike, increase, inflate, lengthen, magnify, mount, multiply, mushroom, open, open out, outspread, pad, piggyback, prolong, protract, puff up, pyramid, slap on, soup up, spread, spread out, stretch, stretch out, swell, tack on, thicken, unfold, unfurl, unravel, unroll, upsurge, wax, widen |
| Antonyms: | abbreviate, contract, lessen, lower, shorten, shrink |
| Main Entry: | extend |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | make larger, longer |
| Synonyms: | add to, aggrandize, amplify, augment, beef up, boost, broaden, carry on, continue, crane, develop, dilate, drag one's feet, drag out, draw, draw out, elongate, enhance, enlarge, expand, fan out, go on, heighten, increase, last, lengthen, let out, magnify, mantle, multiply, open, pad, prolong, prolongate, protract, run on, spin out, spread, spread out, stall, stretch, string out, supplement, take, unfold, unfurl, unroll, widen |
| Antonyms: | abridge, condense, contract, curtail, cut, decrease, lessen, lower, shorten, shrink |
| Main Entry: | fire |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | excite, arouse |
| Synonyms: | animate, electrify, enliven, enthuse, exalt, galvanize, heighten, impassion, incite, inflame, inform, inspire, inspirit, intensify, intoxicate, irritate, provoke, quicken, rouse, stir, thrill |
| Antonyms: | bore, dull |
| Main Entry: | gather |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | gain, increase |
| Synonyms: | build, deepen, enlarge, expand, grow, heighten, intensify, rise, swell, thicken, wax |
| Notes: | garner means to amass or acquire or reap; gather means to assemble or get together |
| Main Entry: | grow |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | become larger, evolve |
| Synonyms: | abound, advance, age, amplify, arise, augment, become, branch out, breed, build, burgeon, burst forth, come, come to be, cultivate, develop, dilate, enlarge, expand, extend, fill out, flourish, gain, germinate, get bigger, get taller, heighten, increase, issue, luxuriate, maturate, mature, mount, multiply, originate, pop up, produce, propagate, pullulate, raise, ripen, rise, shoot*, spread, spring up, sprout, stem, stretch, swell, thicken, thrive, turn, vegetate, wax, widen |
| Antonyms: | decline, decrease, diminish, halt, lessen, reduce, stop, stunt |