add fuel to the fire

Verb

Meaning

(idiomatic) To worsen a conflict between people; to inflame an already tense situation.
Synonyms: add insult to injury, fan the flames; see also Thesaurus:make matters worse
Antonyms: pour oil on troubled waters, clear the air
Instead of apologizing to his girlfriend, he decided to add fuel to the fire.

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see add,‎ fuel,‎ fire.

Source: en.wiktionary.org

Synonyms

boost worsen heighten exacerbate aggravate maximise pour gasoline on the fire throw gas on the fire throw gasoline on the fire

Antonyms

rescript better square algebra correct improve
Show all antonyms

Close letter words and terms

add fuel add fuel to add fuel to fire add fuel to the flame add fuel to the flames add gradually into