worse

1 of 3

adjective

ˈwərs 

comparative of bad

or of ill

1

: of more inferior quality, value, or condition

2

a

: more unfavorable, difficult, unpleasant, or painful

b

: more faulty, unsuitable, or incorrect

c

: less skillful or efficient

3

: bad, evil, or corrupt in a greater degree : more reprehensible

4

: being in poorer health : sicker

worse

2 of 3

noun

: one that is worse

threatened expulsion and worse

worse

3 of 3

adverb

comparative of bad

or badly

or of ill

or illy

1

: in a worse manner : to a worse extent or degree

2

: what is worse

Examples of worse in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples on the Web

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

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

Roberts could have exacerbated his initial managing error, made his blunder exponentially worse. —Mirjam Swanson, Orange County Register, 14 Oct. 2024

Kim Kardashian, who has hundreds of millions of followers on social media, fared worse. —David Paleologos, USA TODAY, 16 May 2024

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

Phrases Containing worse

• a change for the worse
• a fate worse than death
• could do worse
• couldn't be worse/better
• for better or (for) worse
• from bad to worse
• if (the) worse comes to (the) worst
• if worse comes to worse
• make matters worse
• none the worse for wear
• someone's bark is worse than his/her bite
• take a turn for the worse
• take a turn for the worse/better
• (the) worse for wear
• worse off

Kids Definition

worse

1 of 3 adjective

ˈwərs 

comparative of bad

or of ill

1

: of poorer quality, value, or condition

that car is in worse shape than the one you sold

2

a

: more unfavorable, unpleasant, or painful

a worse punishment

b

: more faulty, unsuitable, or incorrect

can't imagine worse ideas

c

: less skillful or efficient

worse than any mechanic I know

3

: being in poorer health

the child was worse the next day

4

: bad or evil in greater degree

whether stealing is worse than cheating

worse

2 of 3 noun

1

: something worse

threatened detention and worse

2

: a greater degree of ill or badness

a turn for the worse

worse

3 of 3 adverb

comparative of bad

or badly

or of ill

: in a worse manner : to a worse extent or degree

slept worse than ever

Medical Definition

worse

comparative of ill