make matters worse
idiom
: to make a situation worse
He laughed at her and then, to make matters worse, he accused her of lying!
Examples of make matters worse in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
To make matters worse, federal funding for Brand USA, the national destination marketing organization, was cut deeply in mid-2025, leading to staff shortages that have reduced the country’s capacity to counter negative sentiment through positive promotion.
—
Frédéric Dimanche, Fortune, 13 Feb. 2026
Now, to make matters worse, Daryl wants to marry John.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 13 Feb. 2026
To make matters worse, women may have distinct pulmonary embolism symptoms from men, which could contribute to diagnostic delays, and risk of complications and death.
—Erica Sloan, SELF, 10 Feb. 2026
To make matters worse, federal funding for Brand USA, the national destination marketing organization, was cut deeply in mid-2025, leading to staff shortages that have reduced the country’s capacity to counter negative sentiment through positive promotion.
—Frédéric Dimanche, Washington Post, 6 Feb. 2026
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Frédéric Dimanche, Fortune, 13 Feb. 2026
Now, to make matters worse, Daryl wants to marry John.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 13 Feb. 2026
To make matters worse, women may have distinct pulmonary embolism symptoms from men, which could contribute to diagnostic delays, and risk of complications and death.
—Erica Sloan, SELF, 10 Feb. 2026
To make matters worse, federal funding for Brand USA, the national destination marketing organization, was cut deeply in mid-2025, leading to staff shortages that have reduced the country’s capacity to counter negative sentiment through positive promotion.
—Frédéric Dimanche, Washington Post, 6 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for make matters worse
Cite this Entry
“Make matters worse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/make%20matters%20worse. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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