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worsen

 - 3 dictionary results

wors⋅en

  [wur-suhn]
Use worsen in a Sentence
–verb (used with object), verb (used without object)
to make or become worse.
Origin:
1175–1225; ME worsenen. See worse, -en 1

Synonyms:
decline, deteriorate, slip, sink.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To worsen
wors·en   (wûr'sən)   
tr. & intr.v.   wors·ened, wors·en·ing, wors·ens
To make or become worse.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

worsen  (v.)
"to make worse," O.E. wyrsian, from the root of worse (q.v.). The refl. sense of "to get worse, become worse off" first attested 1795 and elevated into literary use c.1800-30, where formerly worse (v.) had served.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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