This is the 9377th most frequent Spanish word.
agravar
To make worse or more severe.
Here, 'agravarse' is used reflexively, meaning 'to worsen or escalate,' indicating an increase in severity.
Las tensiones entre ambos países podrían agravarse debido a los recientes conflictos.
Tensions between both countries could worsen due to recent conflicts.
In this sentence, 'agravar' means 'to escalate or worsen,' being used as a transitive verb where an object is being adversely affected.
No debemos agravar la situación con comentarios innecesarios.
We should not exacerbate the situation with unnecessary comments.
Here, 'agravar' indicates that the subject, pollution, is causing an increase in the severity of another circumstance, health problems.