ESCALATION Synonyms: 55 Similar and Opposite Words

escalation

noun

Definition of escalation

as in expansion

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of escalation The facility has grown substantially, and neighbors have been forced to endure the intensification’s resulting escalation of safety hazards, traffic congestion, noise levels and parking shortages. — Farley Road Neighborhood Coalition, Mercury News, 12 Aug. 2026 ShieldBreak arrives after Nightmare Eclipse disclosed a separate privilege escalation flaw, called Rogue Planet, in June that also exploited Windows Defender. — Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 12 Aug. 2026 Exception handling needs deeper verification and human escalation. — Venkata Pavan Kumar Gummadi, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026 Beijing’s wish to avoid instability in the Korean Peninsula reflects its desire to stabilize its relations with the United States and avoid any potential for escalation that could lead to direct conflict. — Zheng Jiyong, Foreign Affairs, 10 Aug. 2026 Dozens of people have been killed in these strikes, and both sides risk falling into a pattern of escalation. — Dominic Dudley, semafor.com, 10 Aug. 2026 Already into its sixth month, the conflict between the US and Iran shows no sign of resolution - but has instead evolved into an unpredictable cycle of escalation and pause. — Tim Lister, CNN Money, 9 Aug. 2026 The attacks mark a major escalation since a truce in 2022 largely halted fighting. — Matthew Lee, Chicago Tribune, 7 Aug. 2026 That mission has drawn sustained criticism from those who argue that increasingly autonomous weapons could reduce human accountability in combat, lower the threshold for the use of force, and increase the risk of unintended escalation. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for escalation

Noun

But the team has maintained its commitment to San Antonio and framed its expansion into Austin as a plan to make the two cities one massive market.

— Jared Weiss, New York Times, 15 Aug. 2026
Yet for Asian countries that endured Japanese imperial rule and expansion, Yasukuni remains a symbol of Japan’s militarism.

— ABC News, ABC News, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of expansion

Noun

Annual inflation in the country — measured over the 12-month period leading up to July — stands at 66%, according to the Iranian Labour News Agency (ILNA).

— Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 17 Aug. 2026
The money could technically be used to plug some fiscal gaps, Lichfield said, although this could undermine confidence in the central bank’s commitment to fighting inflation.

— Sam Meredith, CNBC, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of inflation

Noun

Construction accidents are common in India, where rapid infrastructure growth often collides with fragile geology, construction lapses, extreme weather and safety standards.

— ABC News, ABC News, 14 Aug. 2026
Reynolds and McElhenney have built a project around ambition, investment and continued growth.

— Dean Jones, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of growth

Noun

Surely under our Constitution and laws the enlargement of our limits is a manifestation of the highest attribute of sovereignty, and if entered upon as an Executive act all things relating to the transaction should be clear and free from suspicion.

— Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 11 Aug. 2026
Russia favors formal territorial enlargement, from Georgia to Crimea to the Donbas.

— Frank Lavin, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026

Definition of enlargement

Noun

The fully active 2-way design has DSP control and dedicated amplification for each driver, which reduces distortion and keeps the sound balanced as the volume levels change.

— Mark Sparrow, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026
Even so, sonic adventurers, beginning with Leopold Stokowski in the 1930s, experimented with amplification in an obsessive, seemingly quixotic effort to locate a mythical sonic grail on the Cahuenga Pass.

— Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 16 July 2026

Definition of amplification

Noun

Other symptoms include difficulty breathing, weakness of other muscles, abdominal distension, and constipation.

— Saleen Martin, USA Today, 3 Apr. 2026
Difficulty in breathing, weakness of other muscles, abdominal distension, and constipation may also be common symptoms.

— Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, 21 Jan. 2026

Definition of distension

Noun

Before that, Arsenal had not experienced a moment like that since the joint rise of Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe between 2019 and 2021.

— Art de Roché, New York Times, 13 Aug. 2026
Beijing — Zhu Rongji, the steely former Chinese premier whose bold economic reforms propelled the country’s rise as a global powerhouse, has died.

— CNN Staff, CNN Money, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of rise

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“Escalation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/escalation. Accessed 19 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of escalation

noun

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