worst

1 of 4

adjective

superlative of bad

or of ill

1
: most corrupt, bad, evil, or ill
his worst fault
2
a
: most unfavorable, difficult, unpleasant, or painful
the worst news
your worst enemy
b
: most unsuitable, faulty, unattractive, or ill-conceived
has the worst table manners
c
: least skillful or efficient
the worst person for the job
3
: most wanting in quality, value, or condition
the worst results

worst

2 of 4

adverb

superlative of ill

or illy

or of bad

or badly

1
: to the extreme degree of badness or inferiority
the worst dressed person
2
: to the greatest or highest degree
groups who need the subsidies worst lose outT. W. Arnold

worst

3 of 4

noun

plural worst
: one that is worst

worst

4 of 4

verb

worsted; worsting; worsts

transitive verb

: to get the better of : defeat
Phrases
the worst way
: very much
such men … need indoctrination the worst wayJ. G. Cozzens
often used with in
wanted a new bicycle in the worst way
at worst
: under the worst circumstances

Examples of worst in a Sentence

Adjective This is the worst car I've ever bought. In my opinion, it's her worst book. It was the worst movie I've ever seen. His worst quality is his impatience. This has got to be the worst day of my life. The worst part of working there is the long commute. My worst fears came true. He lives in the worst area of the city. He is the worst singer I've ever heard. They're the worst team ever. Adverb My sister was hurt worst. the areas worst hit by the drought She was voted the worst-dressed celebrity of 2005. Noun What's the worst that can happen? When it comes to dancing, he is the worst. That movie was the worst! He is the worst of the bunch. He is one of the worst in the class. Even in the worst of times, she was hopeful. It's still raining, but the worst of the storm is over now. The worst of it is, I don't even know how to contact her. The company was operating on high costs and low prices—the worst of both worlds. Verb how humiliating for a tennis champ to be worsted by a player no one had ever heard of
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
But all of that would’ve been forgiven if Golden State’s offense didn’t cool down at the worst possible time. C.j. Holmes, San Francisco Chronicle, 8 Feb. 2023 Continue below to see the top 10 best and worst cities for football fans in 2023. Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 8 Feb. 2023 See the look here: Rodrigo refuses to let the best and the worst of ’00s trends live in the past. Carrie Wittmer, Glamour, 6 Feb. 2023 What happened next amounted to the worst time in Nolan’s 42-year career at DCAD, including the past 18 years as chief appraiser. Dallas News, 3 Feb. 2023 And every generation thinks of itself in the superlative: the best, the worst, the most stressed, the most burdened, the most liberated, the most enlightened. H.w. Brands, Washington Post, 2 Feb. 2023 No wonder: the holidays are perhaps the worst time of the year to strand customers. Chris Isidore, CNN, 1 Feb. 2023 Balloons are a key business driver for Party City, and this cut into sales at the worst time. Q.ai - Powering A Personal Wealth Movement, Forbes, 23 Jan. 2023 Notably, that came at perhaps the worst possible time — the two years leading up to the coronavirus pandemic. Khristopher J. Brooks, CBS News, 13 Jan. 2023
Adverb
The way things panned out for the DCEU, and the significance of this data — three of the worst worst franchise falls in history were DCEU films from the last four years, remember — is further evidence the DCU might have an uphill fight. Mark Hughes, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024 Its stock markets have been among the world’s worst recently due to worries about a sluggish economic recovery and troubles in the property sector. Stan Choe, Fortune, 16 Feb. 2024 But its economy, one of the world's worst performing last year, also contracted in the last quarter, by 0.3%. Yuri Kageyama, Quartz, 15 Feb. 2024 In California, San Bernardino fared worst, placing 95 out of 100. Roxana Popescu, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Feb. 2024 Totino Grace grad Joe Alt is expected to be the first, at worst among the top 10 and perhaps within the top seven. Alt, a left tackle, is leaving Notre Dame after his junior year. Charley Walters, Twin Cities, 10 Feb. 2024 This was adrenaline borne of yet another heartbreak — perhaps the Warriors’ worst yet with plenty of runners-up. Shayna Rubin, The Mercury News, 28 Jan. 2024 The 1964 Great Alaska Earthquake and Alaska's Rat Islands Earthquake the following year were among the 10 worst worldwide since 1900, the USGS noted in 2019. Aliza Chasan, CBS News, 18 Jan. 2024 Awards shows tend to be mildly entertaining at best and painful at worst, and this likely didn’t whet anyone’s appetite for more. Ryan Faughnder, Los Angeles Times, 9 Jan. 2024
Noun
To his critics, this was Mr. Kissinger at his Cold War worst, weaving an argument that a nuclear exchange could be won. David E. Sanger, New York Times, 30 Nov. 2023 Start with Correa, whose .299 OBP, .700 OPS and 92 adjusted OPS would all be career worsts. Gabe Lacques, USA TODAY, 13 July 2023 Amid the myriad issues in 2022: Russell Wilson and Co. couldn't stay on schedule, setting league worsts with a 29.1% third-down conversion rate, 63 sacks allowed and just 16.9 points per game. Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz, USA TODAY, 21 June 2023 Wilson posted career worsts in completion percentage (60.5), touchdowns (16) and quarterback rating (84.4) in 2022. Richard Morin, USA TODAY, 24 Feb. 2023 If this is Warhol at his provocative worst, at least the exhibition for the most part reveals Warhol at his colorful and kitschy best. John J. Miller, National Review, 19 Dec. 2019 The team’s hope was to create more takeaways after finishing with NFL worsts of two interceptions and seven forced turnovers in 2018. Si Wire, SI.com, 15 Sep. 2019

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'worst.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English werste, worste, from Old English wierresta, wyrsta, superlative of the root of Old English wiersa worse

First Known Use

Adjective

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

Adverb

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

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1636, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of worst was before the 12th century

Cite this Entry

“Worst.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/worst. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

worst

1 of 4 adjective

superlative of bad

or of ill

1
: most bad, evil, or ill
his worst habit
2
a
: most unfavorable, unpleasant, or painful
the worst problem imaginable
b
: most unsuitable, faulty, unattractive, or ill-conceived
has the worst manners
c
: least skillful or efficient
the worst plumber you can hire
3
: most wanting in quality, value, or condition
farmed the worst land

worst

2 of 4 adverb

superlative of bad

or badly

or of ill

1
: to the greatest degree of badness
sings worst
2
: to the greatest degree
needed help worst

worst

3 of 4 noun
1
: one that is worst
always chooses the worst
2
: the greatest degree of ill or badness
if worse comes to worst

worst

4 of 4 verb
: to get the better of : defeat
worsted his opponents

Medical Definition

worst

superlative of ill

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