Adjective His schoolwork got worse after his parents split up. Her second book was worse than her first one. Her first book was bad, but her second one is even worse. This one is no worse than that one. Could the situation get any worse? You have even worse luck than I do. It turned out to be a worse idea than we originally thought. She ended up in worse shape than when she started. Things are bad for him now, but he was in a worse situation last week. Cheer up. Things could be worse, you know. Noun I didn't want to tell her that worse was yet to come. Her accusations don't bother me. I've been accused of worse. When I lost my job, my life took a turn for the worse. Adverb I did much worse on my second try. You drive worse than he does. That isn't an excellent score, but you could have done worse. She was hurt worse than I was. See More
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
The moves of Abbott, DeSantis, and Ducey might even be worse than the earlier iteration. Philip Elliott, Time, 16 Sep. 2022 The news is even worse in cities in key swing states -- including Phoenix, Atlanta and Miami, with inflation jumps year over year of 13%, 11.7%, and 10.7%, respectively, according to Axios analysis of BLS data. Charlie Dent, CNN, 16 Sep. 2022 Reaching high shelves was hard; putting on deodorant was worse. Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 15 Sep. 2022 The district had a 53% chronic absenteeism rate, which rose since the previous school year and is worse for Black students.The Enquirer, 15 Sep. 2022 Price hikes in some areas were far worse than others. Susan Tompor, Detroit Free Press, 14 Sep. 2022 While the Alabama offense hasn’t been as sharp on third downs, its opponents have been even worse. Michael Casagrande | Mcasagrande@al.com, al, 14 Sep. 2022 Unfortunately, however, the disruptions caused by climate change are even worse than that. Liza Featherstone, The New Republic, 13 Sep. 2022 The Yankees are 21-28 since the All-Star break, which is actually worse than the last-place Red Sox (21-27). Peter Abraham, BostonGlobe.com, 12 Sep. 2022
Noun
What made the prejudice worse was that the entire institutional infrastructure of college basketball was in on it; coaches, athletic directors and alumni. John Kass, chicagotribune.com, 27 Mar. 2018
Adverb
All too often, the ability to make strategic decisions is inconsistent or, worse yet, non-existent. Conal Gallagher, Forbes, 27 June 2022 Africa might seem remote from the current war in Ukraine; worse yet, some may disregard Africa as a strategic priority for the U.S.Time, 8 Apr. 2022 This is one of those deals where the grade could change (for better or worse) depending on what Portland does in the future. Jeff Zillgitt, USA TODAY, 9 Feb. 2022 For example, the million- and billion-dollar companies that sought PPP loans, and the landlords who were defiant about not deferring rent or, worse yet, demanding other forms of payment.San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Jan. 2022 Having witnessed the rise of Trump, the French press knows the perils of turning Zemmour into some kind of political spectacle or, worse yet, normalizing his extreme views. Yasmeen Serhan, The Atlantic, 27 Oct. 2021 As always, what truly bothers its proponents is that the Jewish state exists and, worse yet, thrives.Star Tribune, 29 Apr. 2021 Even worse, all 10 companies discuss their contribution to the U.N.’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Robert G. Eccles, Forbes, 26 Aug. 2022 Mental health issues weren't being adequately addressed, a problem in the general population as well, and the pandemic made things even worse. Rick Barrett, Journal Sentinel, 18 Aug. 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
Adjective
Middle English werse, worse, from Old English wiersa, wyrsa; akin to Old High German wirsiro worse
First Known Use
Adjective
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Noun
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above
Adverb
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of worse was before the 12th century