worse

1 of 3

adjective

ˈwərs 

comparative of bad

or of ill

1

: of more inferior quality, value, or condition

2

a

: more unfavorable, difficult, unpleasant, or painful

b

: more faulty, unsuitable, or incorrect

c

: less skillful or efficient

3

: bad, evil, or corrupt in a greater degree : more reprehensible

4

: being in poorer health : sicker

worse

2 of 3

noun

: one that is worse

threatened expulsion and worse

worse

3 of 3

adverb

comparative of bad

or badly

or of ill

or illy

1

: in a worse manner : to a worse extent or degree

2

: what is worse

Examples of worse in a Sentence

Adjective

His schoolwork got worse after his parents split up.

Her second book was worse than her first one.

Her first book was bad, but her second one is even worse.

This one is no worse than that one.

Could the situation get any worse?

You have even worse luck than I do.

It turned out to be a worse idea than we originally thought.

She ended up in worse shape than when she started.

Things are bad for him now, but he was in a worse situation last week.

Cheer up. Things could be worse, you know.

Noun

I didn't want to tell her that worse was yet to come.

Her accusations don't bother me. I've been accused of worse.

When I lost my job, my life took a turn for the worse.

Adverb

I did much worse on my second try.

You drive worse than he does.

That isn't an excellent score, but you could have done worse.

She was hurt worse than I was.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

In the meantime, practicing some good nail care habits recommended by the National Psoriasis Foundation can help keep nail psoriasis from getting worse. —Petra Guglielmetti, Glamour, 13 Feb. 2023

Donovan looked to the four-point deficit with a sense of relief — things could be much, much worse. —Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 11 Feb. 2023

Data from the National Association of Realtors show the metropolitan Baltimore area’s housing crunch is only getting worse. —Giacomo Bologna, Baltimore Sun, 7 Feb. 2023

Five years after hundreds of thousands of Rohingya fled government persecution in Myanmar, rights activists say conditions at refugee camps in Bangladesh are getting worse. —Tanbirul Miraj Ripon, NBC News, 1 Feb. 2023

And new figures show that rather than improving, the problem has been getting worse. —Jon Marcus, BostonGlobe.com, 24 Jan. 2023

Law enforcement sources also believe Tran was having unspecified emotional problems that had been getting worse in the weeks before the shooting. —Los Angeles Times, 24 Jan. 2023

While the future is looking better, right now things are still getting worse. —WIRED, 24 Jan. 2023

Essentially those factors compound the climate change factors which are also getting worse. —Jan Ellen Spiegel, Hartford Courant, 22 Jan. 2023

Noun

What made the prejudice worse was that the entire institutional infrastructure of college basketball was in on it; coaches, athletic directors and alumni. —John Kass, chicagotribune.com, 27 Mar. 2018

Adverb

And just providing a blank check, providing more bombs without getting assurances now about Rafah and not making this humanitarian disaster even worse and doing simple things right now to help people who are starving to death in Gaza, those seem to be simple request. —ABC News, 31 Mar. 2024

As a result, power companies burn more natural gas, a fossil fuel, making climate change even worse. —Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2024

This can compound the problem: More body fat can make insulin resistance even worse. —Knvul Sheikh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Feb. 2024

In contrast, the female athletes skied worse when people were watching but shot better while an audience looked on. —Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 4 Mar. 2024

No pitcher induced a larger percentage of contact on the ground last season than Webb, while only two rated out worse — according to a metric developed by Statcast — at keeping the running game in check. —Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 24 Feb. 2024

This can make your stress even worse and create a vicious cycle.3 Women need 310 to 320 milligrams (mg) of magnesium a day, while men need 400 to 420 mg. —Maggie O'Neill, Verywell Health, 20 Feb. 2024

The extra point was pushed even worse and wasn’t even close. —Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 16 Jan. 2024

Currently, the Ford F-150 Lightning performs worse when carrying cargo. —Jenny Goldsberry, Washington Examiner, 29 Oct. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English werse, worse, from Old English wiersa, wyrsa; akin to Old High German wirsiro worse

First Known Use

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Adverb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing worse

• a change for the worse
• could do worse
• couldn't be worse/better
• a fate worse than death
• for better or (for) worse
• from bad to worse
• make matters worse
• take a turn for the worse
• someone's bark is worse than his/her bite
• take a turn for the worse/better
• (the) worse for wear
• if (the) worse comes to (the) worst
• if worse comes to worse
• worse off
• none the worse for wear

Kids Definition

worse

1 of 3 adjective

ˈwərs 

comparative of bad

or of ill

1

: of poorer quality, value, or condition

that car is in worse shape than the one you sold

2

a

: more unfavorable, unpleasant, or painful

a worse punishment

b

: more faulty, unsuitable, or incorrect

can't imagine worse ideas

c

: less skillful or efficient

worse than any mechanic I know

3

: being in poorer health

the child was worse the next day

4

: bad or evil in greater degree

whether stealing is worse than cheating

worse

2 of 3 noun

1

: something worse

threatened detention and worse

2

: a greater degree of ill or badness

a turn for the worse

worse

3 of 3 adverb

comparative of bad

or badly

or of ill

: in a worse manner : to a worse extent or degree

slept worse than ever

Medical Definition

worse

comparative of ill