worst 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of worstnext
as in worse

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

worst

2 of 2

verb

as in to best
to achieve a victory over how humiliating for a tennis champ to be worsted by a player no one had ever heard of

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 worst
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 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 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 See All Example Sentences for worst
Recent Examples of Synonyms for worst
  1. worse
  2. best
  3. lesser
  4. defeat
  5. normal
  6. overcome
  7. master
  8. beat
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
Definition of worse
Verb
  • Witt, 26, was bested by Tampa Bay Rays standout Taylor Walls.
    — Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Sheila Chepkirui bested defending champ Hellen Obiri to win her second women’s race at the 2026 New York City marathon Sunday.
    — Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of best
Adjective
  • Even lesser-scale incidents like the Varsity Blues college admissions scandal and the Volkswagen emissions scandal erode trust in the institutions that help make our society possible and push it forward.
    — Lindsey Witmer Collins, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2025
  • Toronto’s Fred VanVleet appears to be the top target, but Miami’s Kyle Lowry, Utah’s Mike Conley and, perhaps to a lesser extent, Charlotte’s Terry Rozier have been linked to the team at various points.
    — Staff Writer Follow, Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2023
Definition of lesser
Verb
  • The students led those protests before challenging and defeating Vucic at the early ballot on Sunday.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 30 Oct. 2026
  • The Milwaukee Brewers capped a dominating October on Wednesday night by defeating the Tampa Bay Rays 4-1 in Game 5 of the World Series.
    — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of defeat
Adjective
  • It's shot up from less than $97 at the start of the month on uncertainty about when the war with Iran will allow the global energy industry to return to normal.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Menopause is the normal part of a woman’s aging process that marks the end of her reproductive years.
    — Lyndon Haviland, Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of normal
Verb
  • Tested on three below-knee amputees, this technique could overcome the limitations of current muscle-signal systems.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 29 Oct. 2026
  • This front row seat to past moments — including some that involve Ethan — leads Hannah to reflect, break out of her comfort zone and overcome her fear of failure.
    — Rachel LaBonte, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of overcome
Verb
  • The rowers must master not only the precise movements required to maintain the fleet formation of five columns and three lines, but also the traditional boat songs performed during the procession.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 1 Nov. 2026
  • Tarte’s Face Tape Foundation has mastered the full-coverage look without appearing cakey.
    — Jacqueline Tempera, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of master
Verb
  • This was the teams’ first meeting at T-Mobile Arena since Arizona beat UCLA in the 2023 Pac-12 tournament final for the second year in a row.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2026
  • With quarterback Baker Mayfield going 0 for 3 passing, Tampa Bay beat the Atlanta Falcons, 16-0, producing one of the NFL’s strangest box scores in decades — and winning a game in a manner that had essentially disappeared from modern football.
    — Francesca Ebel, Washington Post, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of beat

Browse Nearby Words

worships
worst
worsted
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Worst.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/worst. Accessed 4 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of fulsome

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'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

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Old-Timey Vehicles

Ten More Words from Taylor Swift Songs

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
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
couple-laugh-cafe
Quiz: Foreign Phrases You Should Know Check out your bona fides and avoid any faux pas.
See All