escalation
/ˌeskəˈleɪʃn/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌeskəˈleɪʃn/ (ame, ipa)
escalation — 名詞
- escalationsingular
- escalationsplural
1. a process through which something undesirable grows in scale, strength, or serio
升級；惡化
情況變得更嚴重或更劇烈
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.
聯合國特使催促雙方避免邊界衝突进一步升級。
collocation: avoid + escalation + of + conflict
Dr. Amara Osei warned that the escalation of drug-resistant infections could soon overwhelm local clinics.
Amara Osei 醫生警告，抗藥性感染的惡化可能很快就會讓當地診所不堪負荷。
pattern: escalation + of + [negative phenomenon]
The rent escalation in Busan forced many young workers back to their parents' homes.
釜山的房租升級使許多年輕工人搬回父母家。
Rohan's small export company suffered badly after the escalation of import taxes last spring.
Rohan 的小型出口公司去年春天進口稅升級後損失惨重。
Teachers at the school noticed a troubling escalation in bullying after the winter break.
學校老師注意到寒假結束後霸凌情況出現了令人擔忧的升級。
- 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.