agudizarse
verbCEFR B2
What does “agudizarse” mean in English?
to intensify, to sharpen
to intensify, to sharpen (to become more acute or extreme, especially of tensions or contrasts)
Example sentences
Las tensiones entre los dos países se han agudizado tras el incidente fronterizo de la semana pasada.
Tensions between the two countries have intensified following last week's border incident.
La brecha digital se agudiza en los entornos rurales, donde la conectividad sigue siendo escasa e irregular.
The digital divide sharpens in rural settings, where connectivity remains scarce and unreliable.
How to use it
Agudizarse (reflexive verb, from agudo — sharp, acute) means 'to intensify', 'to sharpen', or 'to become acute'. It carries a connotation of problems reaching a sharper, more acute phase — as if a dull ache becomes a stabbing pain. It is formal and widely used in journalism, social analysis, and political commentary: las tensiones se han agudizado, la brecha se agudiza, el conflicto se agudizó. Contrast with agravarse (gradual overall deterioration) and empeorar (neutral everyday worsening). Agudizarse is the most journalistically charged of the three.
Common mistake
Learners translate 'the situation got worse' as *'la situación se agudizó' when the worsening is general — use agravarse or empeorar instead. Agudizarse specifically implies a problem becoming sharper and more acute, not just worse in a general sense.