acerbation

plural acerbations

1. countablerareuncountableBitterness of feeling.

   And Dolly's acerbation was aroused by a belief on her part that the money asked for trousers took him generally to race-courses.

   1883, Anthony Trollope, chapter 34, in Mr. Scarborough's Family

   1 more example

   As a result of this midwinter acerbation, men on both sides of Philadelphia had ample a reason to feel they contended for nothing less than "the right cause" in the rescue and revival of Britain's imperial destinies.

   1963, Ralph L. Ketcham, "Conscience, War, and Politics in Pennsylvania, 1755-1757," The William and Mary Quarterly, 3rd series, vol. 20, no. 3, p. 425

   Synonyms: embitterment

2. countablerareuncountablemedicineExacerbation, aggravation, deterioration.

   There is, however, significant acerbation of the impact of further episodes of hypoglycemia on cognitive function, so that this risk should be recognized and borne in mind by those receiving or initiating protocols likely to produce such hypoglycemia.

   2010, Ewan C. McNay and Victoria E. Cotero, Mini-review: Impact of recurrent hypoglycemia on cognitive and brain function, PubMed Central / US National Library of Medicine