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

Relevance

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 This pollution crisis, first detected 50 years ago, is the result of inadequate wastewater infrastructure and toxic contamination buildup which has worsened dramatically in recent years. — Samhita M Ilango, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Aug. 2026 His relatives called Montes a troubled man whose struggles have worsened since the recent death of his grandmother, who raised him. — Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 18 Aug. 2026 Penrose said Chad’s behavior worsened after he was released from jail and his divorce from Katie was finalized. — Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 15 Aug. 2026 The district’s budget troubles have been worsened by leadership turnover among top school officials. — Molly Gibbs, Mercury News, 14 Aug. 2026 Ben Levinson cited worsened air quality and visibility due to smog. — Laura Horne, Charlotte Observer, 13 Aug. 2026 In a 2023 poll by MediaNet and PaperLab, nearly one-third of Kazakhs said their perception of Russia has worsened because of the war. — Fred Weir, Christian Science Monitor, 13 Aug. 2026 The smoke from the blazes, coupled with fires in neighboring Canada, worsened air quality for millions across the country. — Simmone Shah, Time, 12 Aug. 2026 This decline was possibly made worse by federal immigration enforcement, which district officials believe worsened the annual districtwide decline last year from about 2% — which had been expected — to about 4%. — Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 12 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for worsened
  1. deteriorated
  2. aggravated
  3. crumbled
  4. intensified
  5. descended
  6. deepened
  7. declined
  8. complicated
Verb
  • Her motive wasn’t a major part of the trial, but evidence presented by the prosecution suggested her relationship with her in-laws had deteriorated.
    — Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 20 Aug. 2026
  • As the deployment has stretched on and living conditions on board have allegedly deteriorated, the crew of the Lincoln has also reportedly struggled with increasing mental health concerns.
    — Connor Greene, Time, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of deteriorated
Verb
  • Kirk aggravated a calf injury on the first day of training camp and hasn’t practiced since.
    — Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 21 Aug. 2026
  • All these problems are aggravated by the dysfunctional codependence of procurement officials and traditional defense contractors.
    — Doug Beck, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of aggravated
Verb
  • The fundamental bargain the United States offered has crumbled, and it will not be easily rebuilt.
    — MARC LYNCH, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026
  • The asphalt had crumbled into massive chunks when heavy rain and flooding struck the city about 50 miles east of Indianapolis earlier this week.
    — Bradley Hohulin, IndyStar, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of crumbled
Verb
  • That momentum intensified into 2026 before reversing sharply in recent weeks, leaving the four stocks roughly 20% to 40% below their late-June peaks.
    — Alexa LoMonaco, CNBC, 21 Aug. 2026
  • The competition has intensified over the past year as Netflix has stepped up its pursuit of YouTube’s most popular channels.
    — Lucas Shaw, Fortune, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of intensified
Verb
  • In Las Vegas for the Mike Tyson-Bruce Seldon fight at the MGM Grand, Shakur and Knight were among the entertainment-industry celebrities who descended on Sin City for the bout.
    — Sasha Pezenik, ABC News, 17 Aug. 2026
  • One hundred or more local residents, tourists, and photographers descended on the church grounds with cameras, telescopes, music, and their favorite libations.
    — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of descended
Verb
  • China, which appointed an ambassador to the Taliban government in December 2023, has deepened its economic ties, with Chinese companies becoming major players in Afghan oil, copper and lithium extraction.
    — Kara Fox, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Students and families said the shift has been especially severe in parts of the south, including Helmand and Kandahar, where families already placed a stronger emphasis on religious studies and Taliban rule has deepened that pressure.
    — Fatima Faizi, NPR, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of deepened
Verb
  • Spokespeople for Canadian officials involved in the talks have repeatedly declined to provide additional details about the negotiations to NBC News.
    — Steve Kopack, NBC news, 22 Aug. 2026
  • City spokesperson Sherae Honeycutt said Independence has not been served with Kennon’s lawsuit and declined to comment.
    — Ben Wheeler, Kansas City Star, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of declined
Verb
  • Figuring out how to stay a happy family is where things get complicated.
    — Alex Ritman, Variety, 17 Aug. 2026
  • The answer is complicated by the geography — and by Yemen itself.
    — Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of complicated

Browse Nearby Words

worsen
worsened
worsening
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Worsened.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/worsened. Accessed 24 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on worsened

Nglish: Translation of worsened for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 21

16 Glee-ridden Words from Schitt's Creek
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
alt-684346df967d5
Add A Letter Quiz Pick the letter that goes in the same spot in fou...
See All