acerbate vs modify

acerbate and modify both are verbs.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
acerbate	No	No	Yes	No
modify	No	No	Yes	No

As verbs, modify is a hypernym of acerbate; that is, modify is a word with a broader meaning than acerbate:

Other hypernyms of acerbate include alter, change.

acerbate (verb)	modify (verb)
make sour or bitter	make less severe or harsh or extreme
cause to be bitter or resentful	add a modifier to a constituent
	cause to change; make different; cause a transformation