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Worse

[wurs]

Example Sentences Origin

adjective, compar. of bad and ill.

bad or ill in a greater or higher degree; inferior in excellence, quality, or character.

more unfavorable or injurious.

in less good condition; in poorer health.

noun

that which is worse.

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Worse is always a great word to know.

So is gobo. Does it mean:

a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare.

a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.

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adverb

in a more evil, wicked, severe, or disadvantageous manner.

with more severity, intensity, etc.; in a greater degree.

Origin:
before 900; Middle English (adj., adv., and noun); Old English wiersa (comparative adj.), wiers (adv.); cognate with Old Norse verri, Gothic wairsiza; see war²

Example Sentences

Oldest children often complain that their parents treated them worse than their younger siblings.

Unfortunately, colleges often make matters worse by hiding behind technicalities and acting with arrogance.

Americans should be thankful the storm wasn't a lot worse.

EXPAND

Oldest children often complain that their parents treated them worse than their younger siblings.

Unfortunately, colleges often make matters worse by hiding behind technicalities and acting with arrogance.

Americans should be thankful the storm wasn't a lot worse.

Worse yet, the junk already in space is making more junk.

Intriguingly, these bright students did much worse when they considered it an intelligence test.

The air in many national wilderness wonderlands is getting worse.

Some of their agaves looked the worse for it but some made it through without a dent.

The end result was that they made significantly worse choices than those who were allowed to consciously think about the cars.

Europe's leaders have made a bad situation worse by prescribing austerity everywhere they look.

It's worse for academic libraries but many public libraries are facing the same challenges.

Global business executives expect worse times ahead.

The country's current floods are far worse because of decades of river and floodplain mismanagement, experts say.

Having a simpler life style doesn t always mean a worse one.

The threat to his life's work could hardly have come at a worse moment.

It can even make infestations by sucking insects worse by destroying their natural enemies.

Army generals have been complaining, loudly, that their soldiers are getting worse and worse at fighting old-school wars.

And the larger the dose they took, the worse were patients' symptoms of memory loss and inability to care for themselves.

But after inflation is taken into account, the picture looks worse.

If the substances are too strong, a human licker will experience a burning and constricted throat-or far worse.

The more refined the carb and/or the higher the glycemic load of the food, the worse it is for you.

Even worse were the discriminatory business practices against black attendees.

State-budget cuts for colleges could have been worse this year.

Your travel decisions impact the world, for better or worse.

Almost all biodiesel you buy is made from food crops, which is worse for global warming that regular diesel.

And all seven species of sea turtles are listed as threatened or worse.

American students don't do well in math, but things could be worse.

The authors warn that unchecked warming could lead to worse consequences for ecosystems and human visitors alike.

As her contractions got stronger the next few days my period got worse.

Tourists might-might-also have noticed that the frescoes looked a bit worse for the wear.

But matters are far worse than the naïve reader would conclude from his pointed emphasis on the lamentable plight of the reviewer.

The world is facing a critical shortage of doctors, and the prognosis is getting worse.

If worse comes to worse, we'll see what we've always seen, a migration of humans to more hospitable environments.

Jaisalmer's tourist boom has only made matters worse.

At less-selective public universities, the numbers are even worse.

They administered antibiotics, but she only got worse.

Because a new study finds that older folks who accept that seniors' memories get worse do worse on memory tests.

And clearly--as he knows far too well--it could wind up doing much, much worse.

Patients with adenocarcinoma have a worse prognosis and usually more rapid deterioration.

In the fall came worse news: her cancer had recurred and spread, and doctors said she might have only months to live.

The recent surge in world food prices is already creating havoc in poor countries, and worse is to come.

That's when the bird's fortune turned-for the worse.

The potential side effects could be far worse than the solution.

The best you can say is that things could have been worse.

It is getting worse and worse, sometimes while writing, often while speaking.

Malnourished children grow up with worse health and lower educational achievements.

So sometimes the treatment was worse than the original illness.

Gas industry dismisses claim that shale-derived natural gas is worse than coal for the climate.

Easier, in fact, as they'll tolerate worse soils and more heat.

The colonists couldn't have chosen a worse place to settle.

Humanity's environmental impact has reached an unprecedented scope, and it's getting worse.

Although they were paid for their keen insights into world affairs, they often performed worse than random chance.

While many in academe feel the blows, some are feeling it worse than others.

For poor people more generally, it is even worse news.

The problem grew worse as other porters heard about the fee increase.

The consequences are far worse than having to wait a few extra seconds for a movie to load.

The only thing worse than seeing a guy toting a cell phone on his belt is seeing a lady wearing one.

With the economy expected to get worse before it gets better, many students will struggle more than ever to pay for college.

And in the short term, it may well make the second problem worse.

Curing almost all malaria cases can be worse than curing none.

If you're being shot at, you could do worse than diving into a swimming pool.

Meanwhile, scientists are warning that climate change will bring even weirder and worse weather events in the future.

It's even worse when you're on a bicycle because you'll never see green until a car rolls up and trips.

Pressure on prisons has been getting worse for years.

Then came accusations of misconduct, exploitation, and worse.

Now, higher rises and worse case scenarios are more likely.

Worse is the scrolling itself, which combines two frustrations into one.

Being on the tenure track is brutally hard and, worse than that, gut-wrenching.

Instead, he identifies four biases that prompt voters systematically to demand policies that make them worse off.

In the event of combat and/or unrest, looting could become much worse.

We can now only control how much worse those scenarios are.

It doesn't really get any worse than data fabrication.

The activity shows the stress the seam is under and could be a harbinger of worse to come, scientists warn.

Overall, i think the negative affects are worse than the positive affects.

Think of it this way: there may be worse things in life than the first days back at work after vacation.

After all, one group generally starts out in much worse shape.

The flooding is getting worse as water slowly seeps into the city from the lake.

Two studies of perception: the retinas of depressed people are far worse at responding to.

It will get worse and worse and threaten to destroy the entire universe.

What's more, a third of the respondents to the survey said today's college grads would fare worse than their parents' generation.

It's an old problem, but it has gotten worse in the last few years.

But as many of them noted in televised interviews, what made matters far worse was feeling powerless.

Without this movie the world would be a worse place.

But now tourism is taking to the treetops, for better or worse.

Scientists warn that a boom in crops such as corn for biofuel will only make matters worse.

Doctors prescribed antidepressants and later antipsychotics-but the meds only seemed to make her worse.

Damage is usually worse near coastlines, but storm-triggered inland flooding is common.

Africa has plenty of resource allocation issues now, and it may get worse in the future without significant planning efforts.

They appeared to be extremely sensitive to home and family life, for better or worse.

Mental illness gets worse with age, because the damaged cells reproduce.

Acid leaching of ores in ground ore bodies is worse.

Luldahl changed for the better, but a traumatic experience could change another individual for the worse.

Not to mention how much worse the fall down the stars would become with this strapped to your body.

The question is what about the old non-eco-cities, places where pollution has been getting worse and worse for years.

But sometimes doing something is worse than doing nothing.

The impacts of climate change have begun to appear and may get much worse over the course of this century.

COLLAPSE

Dictionary.com Unabridged

adjective

not good in any manner or degree.

having a wicked or evil character; morally reprehensible: There is no such thing as a bad boy.

of poor or inferior quality; defective; deficient: a bad diamond; a bad spark plug.

inadequate or below standard; not satisfactory for use: bad heating; Living conditions in some areas are very bad.

inaccurate, incorrect, or faulty: a bad guess.

EXPAND

invalid, unsound, or false: a bad insurance claim; bad judgment.

causing or liable to cause sickness or ill health; injurious or harmful: Too much sugar is bad for your teeth.

suffering from sickness, ill health, pain, or injury; sick; ill: He felt bad from eating the green apples.

not healthy or in good physical condition; diseased, decayed, or physically weakened: A bad heart kept him out of the army.

10.

tainted, spoiled, or rotten, especially to the point of being inedible: The meat is bad because you left it out of the refrigerator too long.

11.

having a disastrous or detrimental effect, result, or tendency; unfavorable: The drought is bad for the farmers. His sloppy appearance made a bad impression.

12.

causing or characterized by discomfort, inconvenience, uneasiness, or annoyance; disagreeable; unpleasant: I had a bad flight to Chicago.

13.

easily provoked to anger; irascible: a bad temper.

14.

cross, irritable, or surly: If I don't have my morning coffee, I'm in a bad mood all day.

15.

more uncomfortable, persistent, painful, or dangerous than usual; severe: a bad attack of asthma.

16.

causing or resulting in disaster or severe damage or destruction: a bad flood.

17.

regretful, contrite, dejected, or upset: He felt bad about having to leave the children all alone.

18.

disobedient, naughty, or misbehaving: If you're bad at school, you'll go to bed without supper.

19.

disreputable or dishonorable: He's getting a bad name from changing jobs so often.

20.

displaying a lack of skill, talent, proficiency, or judgment: a bad painting; Bad drivers cause most of the accidents.

21.

causing distress; unfortunate or unfavorable: I'm afraid I have bad news for you.

22.

not suitable or appropriate; disadvantageous or dangerous: It was a bad day for fishing.

23.

inclement; considered too stormy, hot, cold, etc.: We had a bad winter with a lot of snow.

24.

disagreeable or offensive to the senses: a bad odor.

25.

exhibiting a lack of artistic sensitivity: The room was decorated in bad taste.

26.

not in keeping with a standard of behavior or conduct; coarse: bad manners.

27.

(of a word, speech, or writing)

vulgar, obscene, or blasphemous: bad language.

not properly observing rules or customs of grammar, usage, spelling, etc.; incorrect: He speaks bad English.

28.

unattractive, especially because of a lack of pleasing proportions: She has a bad figure.

29.

(of the complexion) marred by defects; pockmarked or pimply; blemished: bad skin.

30.

not profitable or worth the price paid: The land was a bad buy.

31.

Commerce. deemed uncollectible or irrecoverable and treated as a loss: a bad debt.

32.

ill-spent; wasted: Don't throw good money after bad money.

33.

counterfeit; not genuine: There was a bad ten-dollar bill in with the change.

34.

having the character of a villain; villainous: In the movies the good guys always beat the bad guys.

35.

Sports. failing to land within the in-bounds limits of a court or section of a court; missing the mark; not well aimed.

36.

Slang. outstandingly excellent; first-rate: He's a bad man on drums, and the fans love him.

COLLAPSE

noun

37.

that which is bad: You have to take the bad with the good.

38.

a bad condition, character, or quality: His health seemed to go from bad to worse.

39.

(used with a plural verb) evil persons collectively (usually preceded by the): The bad are always stirring up trouble.

adverb Informal.

40.

badly: He wanted it bad enough to steal it.

Idioms

41.

bad off, in poor or distressed condition or circumstances; destitute: His family has been pretty bad off since he lost his job. Also, badly off. Compare well-off.

42.

go to the bad, to deteriorate physically or morally; go to ruin: She wept at seeing her son go to the bad.

43.

in a bad way, in severe trouble or distress.

44.

in bad, Informal.

in trouble or distress.

in disfavor: He's in bad with his father-in-law.

45.

my bad, Slang. my fault! my mistake!

EXPAND

46.

not bad,

tolerably good; not without merit: The dinner wasn't bad, but I've had better.

not difficult: Once you know geometry, trigonometry isn't bad.

Also, not so bad, not too bad.

47.

too bad, unfortunate or disappointing: It's too bad that he didn't go to college.

48.

to the bad, in arrears: He's $100 to the bad on his debt.

COLLAPSE

Origin:
1250–1300; Middle English badde, perhaps akin to Old English bæddel hermaphrodite, bædling womanish man

Related forms

bad·ness, noun

Synonyms
2. depraved, corrupt, base, sinful, criminal, atrocious. Bad, evil, ill, wicked are closest in meaning in reference to that which is lacking in moral qualities or is actually vicious and reprehensible. Bad is the broadest and simplest term: a bad man; bad habits. Evil applies to that which violates or leads to the violation of moral law: evil practices. Ill now appears mainly in certain fixed expressions, with a milder implication than that in evil: ill will; ill-natured. Wicked implies willful and determined doing of what is very wrong: a wicked plan. 10. putrefied. 21. adverse, unlucky, unhappy.

Usage note
The adjective bad meaning “unpleasant, unattractive, unfavorable, spoiled, etc.,” is the usual form to follow such copulative verbs as sound, smell, look, and taste: After the rainstorm the water tasted bad. The coach says the locker room smells bad. After the copulative verb feel, the adjective badly in reference to physical or emotional states is also used and is standard, although bad is more common in formal writing: I feel bad from overeating. EXPANDShe felt badly about her friend's misfortune.
When the adverbial use is required, badly is standard with all verbs: She reacted badly to the criticism. Bad as an adverb appears mainly in informal contexts: I didn't do too bad on the tests. He wants money so bad it hurts. See also badly, good.

COLLAPSE

adverb

in a defective, incorrect, or undesirable way: The car runs badly.

in an unsatisfactory, inadequate, or unskilled manner: a vague, badly written letter; He paints badly.

unfavorably: His neighbors spoke badly of him. The weather turned out badly for the cruise.

in a wicked, evil, or morally or legally wrong way.

in a disobedient, naughty, or ethically or socially wrong way: He treats his parents badly.

EXPAND

very much; to a great extent or degree: a house badly in need of repair; to want something badly.

severely; direly: to be injured badly.

with great distress, resentment, regret, or emotional display: She took the news of her mother's death badly.

COLLAPSE

adjective

in ill health; sick: He felt badly.

10.

sorry; regretful: I feel badly about your reaction to my remark.

11.

dejected; downcast.

Idiom

12.

badly off. bad (def. 47).

Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English baddeli. See bad¹, -ly

Can be confused: bad, badly (see usage note at bad¹; see usage note at the current entry).

Usage note
In the sense “very much,” badly is fully standard: He needs help badly. See also bad.

adjective

of unsound physical or mental health; unwell; sick: She felt ill, so her teacher sent her to the nurse.

objectionable; unsatisfactory; poor; faulty: ill manners.

hostile; unkindly: ill feeling.

evil; wicked; bad: of ill repute.

unfavorable; adverse: ill fortune.

EXPAND

of inferior worth or ability; unskillful; inexpert: an ill example of scholarship.

COLLAPSE

noun

an unfavorable opinion or statement: I can speak no ill of her.

harm or injury: His remarks did much ill.

trouble, distress, or misfortune: Many ills befell him.

10.

evil: to know the difference between good and ill.

11.

sickness or disease.

adverb

12.

in an ill manner.

13.

unsatisfactorily; poorly: It ill befits a man to betray old friends.

14.

in a hostile or unfriendly manner.

15.

unfavorably; unfortunately.

16.

with displeasure or offense.

EXPAND

17.

faultily; improperly.

18.

with difficulty or inconvenience; scarcely: Buying a new car is an expense we can ill afford.

COLLAPSE

Idiom

19.

ill at ease, socially uncomfortable; nervous: They were ill at ease because they didn't speak the language.

Origin:
1150–1200; Middle English ill(e) (noun and adj.) < Old Norse illr (adj.) ill, bad

Can be confused: ill, sick¹ (see synonym note at the current entry).

Synonyms
1. unhealthy, ailing, diseased, afflicted. Ill, sick mean being in bad health, not being well. Ill is the more formal word. In the U.S. the two words are used practically interchangeably except that sick is always used when the word modifies the following noun: He looks sick (ill); a sick person. In England, sick is not interchangeable with ill, but usually has the connotation of nauseous: She got sick and threw up. sick, however, is used before nouns just as in the U.S.: a sick man. 4. wrong, iniquitous. See bad¹. 8. hurt, pain, affliction, misery. 9. calamity. 10. depravity. 11. illness, affliction. 13. badly.

Antonyms
1. well, healthy. 4. good.

Link To Worse

Collins

World English Dictionary

worse (wɜːs)

—*adj*
1.	the comparative of bad
2.	none the worse for not harmed by (adverse events or circumstances)
3.	the worse for wear
	a. shabby or worn
	b. a slang term for drunk
4.	informal worse luck! unhappily; unfortunately
5.	(postpositive) worse off in a worse, esp a worse financial, condition

—n
6.	something that is worse
7.	for the worse into a less desirable or inferior state or condition: a change for the worse
8.	go from bad to worse to deteriorate even more

—*adv*
9.	in a more severe or unpleasant manner
10.	in a less effective or successful manner

[Old English wiersa; related to Old Frisian werra, Old High German wirsiro, Old Norse verri, Gothic wairsiza]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source

Etymonline

Word Origin & History

bad

c.1200, a mystery word with no apparent relatives in other languages.* Possibly from O.E. derogatory term bæddel and its dim. bædling "effeminate man, hermaphrodite, pederast," probably related to bædan "to defile." Originally "defective, inferior;" sense of "evil, morally depraved"

EXPAND

is first recorded c.1300. A rare word before 1400, and evil was more common in this sense until c.1700. Comparable words in the other I.E. languages tend to have grown from descriptions of specific qualities, such as "ugly," "defective," "weak," "faithless," "impudent," "crooked," "filthy" (e.g. Gk. kakos, probably from the word for "excrement;" Rus. plochoj, related to O.C.S. plachu "wavering, timid;" Pers. gast, O.Pers. gasta-, related to gand "stench;" Ger. schlecht, originally "level, straight, smooth," whence "simple, ordinary," then "bad"). Comparative and superlative forms badder, baddest were common 14c.-18c. and used as recently as Defoe (but not by Shakespeare), but yielded to comp. worse and superl. worst (which had belonged to evil and ill). In U.S. place names, sometimes translating native terms meaning "supernaturally dangerous." Ironic use as a word of approval is said to be at least since 1890s orally, originally in Black Eng., emerging in print 1928 in a jazz context. It might have emerged from the ambivalence of expressions like bad nigger, used as a term of reproach by whites, but among blacks sometimes representing one who stood up to injustice, but in the U.S. West bad man also had a certain ambivalence:

"These are the men who do most of the killing in frontier communities, yet it is a noteworthy fact that the men who are killed generally deserve their fate." [Farmer & Henley]

*Farsi has bad in more or less the same sense as the English word, but this is regarded by linguists as a coincidence. The forms of the words diverge as they are traced back in time (Farsi bad comes from M.Pers. vat), and such accidental convergences exist across many languages, given the vast number of words in each and the limited range of sounds humans can make to signify them. Among other coincidental matches with English are Korean mani "many," Chinese pei "pay," Nahuatl (Aztecan) huel "well," Maya hol "hole."

ill

c.1200, "morally evil" (other 13c. senses were "malevolent, hurtful, unfortunate, difficult"), from O.N. illr "ill, bad," of unknown origin. Not related to evil. Main modern sense of "sick, unhealthy, unwell" is first recorded c.1460, probably related to O.N. idiom "it is bad to me." Illness "disease,

sickness" is from 1689. Slang sense of "very good, cool" is 1980s.

worse

O.E. wiersa, wyrsa, from P.Gmc. *wers-izon- (cf. O.S. wirs, O.N. verri, Swed. värre, O.Fris. wirra, O.H.G. wirsiro, Goth. wairsiza "worse"), comparative of PIE *wers- "to confuse, mix up" (cf. O.H.G. werra "strife," O.S. werran "to entangle, compound;" see war). Used as

a comparative of bad, evil, ill or as the opposite of better. Phrase for better or for worse is attested from 1390 (for bet, for wers); to change for the worse is recorded from c.1400.

COLLAPSE

American Heritage

Medical Dictionary

ill (ĭl)
adj. worse (wûrs), worst (wûrst)

Not healthy; sick.
Not normal, as a condition; unsound.

n.
A disease or illness, especially of animals.

Slang Dictionary

bad definition

mod.
powerful; intense. : This grass is bad!
mod.
suitable; excellent; good. : I got some new silks that are really bad.

Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source

ill definition

mod.
lame; dull; bad. : That broad is truly ill and has a face that would stop a clock.
mod.
and illing; illin'. excellent; cool. : We had an ill time at your party. Loved it!

Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source

American Heritage

Idioms & Phrases

worse

In addition to the idiom beginning with worse, also see all the (worse); bark is worse than one's bite; fate worse than death; for better or for worse; from bad to worse; if worst comes to worst; none the worse; take a turn for the better (worse). Also see under worst.