escalation
escalation — noun
1. a process through which something undesirable grows in scale, strength, or serio
a process through which something undesirable grows in scale, strength, or seriousness — such as armed conflict between two groups that worsens, or rental prices across a city that climb sharply.
The UN special envoy urged both sides to avoid further escalation of the border conflict.
collocation: avoid + escalation + of + conflict
Dr. Amara Osei warned that the escalation of drug-resistant infections could soon overwhelm local clinics.
pattern: escalation + of + [negative phenomenon]
The rent escalation in Busan forced many young workers back to their parents' homes.
Rohan's small export company suffered badly after the escalation of import taxes last spring.
Teachers at the school noticed a troubling escalation in bullying after the winter break.
- increase
More neutral and broader; can refer to positive or negative growth, while escalation is usually negative.
- intensification
Closer in meaning, especially for conflicts or emotions; focuses on greater strength or severity rather than scale.
- rise
Implies steady upward movement; less dramatic than escalation and not necessarily negative.
- uptick
Informal, describes a small increase; much milder in tone than escalation.
- de-escalation
The deliberate reduction of tension or severity, especially in conflicts.
- reduction
A general decrease in size, amount, or degree.
- decline
A gradual downward trend; opposite of a rise or increase.
文法句型
escalation + of + [conflict/tensions/violence/prices]
escalation + in + [area of increase]
a/an + [adjective] + escalation + in/of
用法筆記
Can be uncountable (escalation of violence) when referring to the general process, or countable (a worrying escalation in prices) when referring to a specific instance. The plural form escalations is rare but possible in formal writing. Subject matter is typically negative: conflicts, prices, tensions, crises, or diseases.
常見錯誤
❗ 'The escalator of prices worried everyone.' ✅ 'The escalation of prices worried everyone.' — Escalator is a moving staircase; escalation is the noun form of escalate.
❗ 'There was an escalation of peace in the region.' ✅ 'There was a rise in peaceful activities in the region.' — Escalation normally describes a negative change becoming worse, not a positive one.