worsened

verb

past tense of worsen
1
as in deteriorated
to become worse or of less value the condition of the house worsened with every year of neglect

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in aggravated
to make more severe the harsh winter only worsened the fuel shortage

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of worsened As conditions worsened overnight, emergency crews sent warnings to evacuate. — Kelly Werthmann, CBS News, 2 Nov. 2026 Unusually hot ocean water worsened the sea level rise that peaked during last week’s high tides. — Sean Greene, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2026 The thresholds described how much an individual patient’s condition had worsened, a company employee told me; they couldn’t be used to judge the average difference between patients receiving a drug and those receiving a placebo. — Manvir Singh, New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2026 As Vangie’s condition worsened, however, the job grew tougher, and the strain showed on Ron, who was in his 80s. — Raginee Sudhir Chaurey, CNN Money, 1 Nov. 2026 In recent weeks, a deepening rift has worsened between El-Sayed and Stevens. — Garrett Downs,dan Mangan, CNBC, 1 Nov. 2026 Early in the cycle, Democrats were considered underdogs to retake the Senate, but that sentiment has shifted dramatically in their favor due to a deteriorating political environment for Republicans worsened by the war in Iran. — David Sivak, The Washington Examiner, 30 Oct. 2026 Related work found the same dim night worsened weight gain, glucose control and inflammation in animals on a high-fat diet. — Randy J. Nelson, Scientific American, 30 Oct. 2026 While turnover worsened sharply after the COVID-19 pandemic, the shortage isn't new. — Jonaki Mehta, NPR, 26 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for worsened
  1. deteriorated
  2. aggravated
  3. crumbled
  4. intensified
  5. descended
  6. deepened
  7. declined
  8. complicated
Verb
  • The restoration team replaced the building’s roof and windows, which had deteriorated over years of neglect.
    — Shira Li Bartov, Sun Sentinel, 3 Nov. 2026
  • The dominance of drone warfare in this conflict makes aboveground travel extremely dangerous, and services and supplies have deteriorated sharply since May.
    — Alexander Smith, NBC news, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of deteriorated
Verb
  • Brents has been nursing a neck/shoulder injury for the past two weeks and re-aggravated it in Sunday’s 28-25 win over the Jets.
    — Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 29 Oct. 2026
  • The fighting on the Ethiopian side of the border stems from a territorial dispute between the Oromia and Somali regional administrations, aggravated by the killing of a 13-year-old girl in an area administered by the Somali regional administration.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of aggravated
Verb
  • And while unstable coalitions repeatedly fused and dissolved in the halls of power, outside these halls pipes burst and roads crumbled.
    — Ryan Lenora Brown, Christian Science Monitor, 5 Nov. 2026
  • And in 2024, a huge chunk of cliffside near the road collapsed, with onlookers sprinting from the edge as the ground crumbled.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of crumbled
Verb
  • The Middle East is not the only part of the world where threats to the Internet’s undersea backbone have intensified.
    — Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 6 Nov. 2026
  • Two years later, as clashes between the South Vietnamese government and protesters intensified, Morgenthau urged the United States to get out.
    — David Sacks, Foreign Affairs, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of intensified
Verb
  • One day before voters will ultimately choose between them, gubernatorial candidates Byron Donalds and David Jolly descended upon an unlikely battleground — ruby red Polk County, where Democrats are turning out at a higher rate than Republicans.
    — Ryan Gillespie, The Orlando Sentinel, 2 Nov. 2026
  • This July, some ten thousand people descended on London for the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference.
    — Manvir Singh, New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of descended
Verb
  • In addition, CrowdStrike has deepened its partnership with Nvidia in 2026, collaborating on real-time AI security agents that aim to protect data centers and cloud infrastructure.
    — Liz Napolitano, CNBC, 2 Nov. 2026
  • El Sayed’s campaign asked Stevens to stay away from his remaining campaign events on Saturday as the two deepened their feud just days ahead of the toss-up Senate race.
    — Molly Parks, The Washington Examiner, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of deepened
Verb
  • In the most recent year of accounting, homelessness increased slightly in the city but declined significantly in Raman’s council district.
    — Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 7 Nov. 2026
  • The Post also sought comment on Alex’s allegations; when the agency asked for Alex’s personal information, the newspaper declined to provide it, citing his safety concerns.
    — Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 7 Nov. 2026
Definition of declined
Verb
  • Debates over consciousness have further complicated the conversation about how to regulate AI.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Day’Ron Sharpe’s foul trouble has complicated his impact inside, and the center combination of Sharpe and Wagner has yet to provide a dependable defensive foundation.
    — C.J. Holmes, New York Daily News, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of complicated

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Cite this Entry

“Worsened.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/worsened. Accessed 11 Nov. 2026.

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