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worst - 15 dictionary results

worst

  [wurst]
Use worst in a Sentence
–adjective, superl. of bad and ill.
1. bad or ill in the highest, greatest, or most extreme degree: the worst person.
2. most faulty, unsatisfactory, or objectionable: the worst paper submitted.
3. most unfavorable or injurious.
4. in the poorest condition: the worst house on the block.
5. most unpleasant, unattractive, or disagreeable: the worst personality I've ever known.
6. most lacking in skill; least skilled: the worst typist in the group.
–noun
7. that which is worst.
–adverb
8. in the most evil, wicked, severe, or disadvantageous manner.
9. with the most severity, intensity, etc.; in the greatest degree.
–verb (used with object)
10. to defeat; beat: He worsted him easily.
—Idioms
11. at worst, if the worst happens; under the worst conditions: He will be expelled from school, at worst. Also, at the worst.
12. get the worst of something, to be defeated by; lose: to get the worst of a fight.
13. if worst comes to worst, if the very worst happens: If worst comes to worst, we still have some money in reserve.
14. in the worst way, Informal. in an extreme degree; very much: She wanted a new robe for Christmas in the worst way. Also, the worst way.
Origin:
bef. 900; ME worste (adj., adv., and n.), OE wur(re)sta, wyr(re)st, wer(re)sta (adj. and adv.); c. ON verstr; see worse, -est 1

bad

1  [bad] adjective, worse, worst; (Slang) bad⋅der, bad⋅dest for 36; noun; adverb
–adjective
1. not good in any manner or degree.
2. having a wicked or evil character; morally reprehensible: There is no such thing as a bad boy.
3. of poor or inferior quality; defective; deficient: a bad diamond; a bad spark plug.
4. inadequate or below standard; not satisfactory for use: bad heating; Living conditions in some areas are very bad.
5. inaccurate, incorrect, or faulty: a bad guess.
6. invalid, unsound, or false: a bad insurance claim; bad judgment.
7. causing or liable to cause sickness or ill health; injurious or harmful: Too much sugar is bad for your teeth.
8. suffering from sickness, ill health, pain, or injury; sick; ill: He felt bad from eating the green apples.
9. 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, esp. 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)
a. vulgar, obscene, or blasphemous: bad language.
b. not properly observing rules or customs of grammar, usage, spelling, etc.; incorrect: He speaks bad English.
28. unattractive, esp. 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.
–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 prec. 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.
a. in trouble or distress.
b. in disfavor: He's in bad with his father-in-law.
45. my bad, Slang. my fault! my mistake!
—Idioms
46. not bad,
a. tolerably good; not without merit: The dinner wasn't bad, but I've had better.
b. 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.
Origin:
1250–1300; ME badde, perh. akin to OE bæddel hermaphrodite, bædling womanish man

Related forms:
badness, 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. She 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.

bad⋅ly

  [bad-lee] adverb, worse, worst, adjective
–adverb
1. in a defective, incorrect, or undesirable way: The car runs badly.
2. in an unsatisfactory, inadequate, or unskilled manner: a vague, badly written letter; He paints badly.
3. unfavorably: His neighbors spoke badly of him. The weather turned out badly for the cruise.
4. in a wicked, evil, or morally or legally wrong way.
5. in a disobedient, naughty, or ethically or socially wrong way: He treats his parents badly.
6. very much; to a great extent or degree: a house badly in need of repair; to want something badly.
7. severely; direly: to be injured badly.
8. with great distress, resentment, regret, or emotional display: She took the news of her mother's death badly.
–adjective
9. 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; ME baddeli. See bad 1 , -ly

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

ill

  [il] adjective, worse, worst, noun, adverb
–adjective
1. of unsound physical or mental health; unwell; sick: She felt ill, so her teacher sent her to the nurse.
2. objectionable; unsatisfactory; poor; faulty: ill manners.
3. hostile; unkindly: ill feeling.
4. evil; wicked; bad: of ill repute.
5. unfavorable; adverse: ill fortune.
6. of inferior worth or ability; unskillful; inexpert: an ill example of scholarship.
–noun
7. an unfavorable opinion or statement: I can speak no ill of her.
8. harm or injury: His remarks did much ill.
9. 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.
17. faultily; improperly.
18. with difficulty or inconvenience; scarcely: Buying a new car is an expense we can ill afford.
—Idiom
19. ill at ease, socially uncomfortable; nervous: They were ill at ease because they didn't speak the language.
Origin:
1150–1200; ME ill(e) (n. and adj.) < ON illr (adj.) ill, bad

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 bad 1 . 8. hurt, pain, affliction, misery. 9. calamity. 10. depravity. 11. illness, affliction. 13. badly.

Antonyms:
1. well, healthy. 4. good.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To worst
bad 1   (bād)   
adj.   worse (wûrs), worst (wûrst)
  1. Not achieving an adequate standard; poor: a bad concert.
  2. Evil; sinful.
  3. Vulgar or obscene: bad language.
  4. Informal Disobedient or naughty: bad children.
  5. Disagreeable, unpleasant, or disturbing: a bad piece of news.
  6. Unfavorable: bad reviews for the play.
  7. Not fresh; rotten or spoiled: bad meat.
  8. Injurious in effect; detrimental: bad habits.
  9. Not working properly; defective: a bad telephone connection.
  10. Full of or exhibiting faults or errors: bad grammar.
  11. Having no validity; void: passed bad checks.
  12. Being so far behind in repayment as to be considered a loss: bad loans.
  13. Severe; intense: a bad cold.
    1. Being in poor health or in pain: I feel bad today.
    2. Being in poor condition; diseased: bad lungs.
  15. Sorry; regretful: She feels bad about how she treated you.
  16. bad·der, bad·dest Slang Very good; great.
n.  Something that is below standard or expectations, as of ethics or decency: weighing the good against the bad.
adv.   Usage Problem
Badly.

[Middle English badde.]
bad'ness n.
Usage Note: Bad is often used as an adverb in sentences such as The house was shaken up pretty bad or We need water bad. This usage is common in informal speech but is widely regarded as unacceptable in formal writing. In an earlier survey, the sentence His tooth ached so bad he could not sleep was unacceptable to 92 percent of the Usage Panel. · The use of badly with want was once considered incorrect but is now entirely acceptable: We wanted badly to go to the beach. · The adverb badly is often used after verbs such as feel, as in I felt badly about the whole affair. This usage bears analogy to the use of other adverbs with feel, such as strongly in We feel strongly about this issue. Some people prefer to maintain a distinction between feel badly and feel bad, restricting the former to emotional distress and using the latter to cover physical ailments; however, this distinction is not universally observed, so feel badly should be used in a context that makes its meaning clear. · Badly is used in some regions to mean "unwell," as in He was looking badly after the accident. Poorly is also used in this way. In an earlier survey, however, the usage was found unacceptable in formal writing by 75 percent of the Usage Panel.

Our Living Language  : Most people might think that the slang usage of bad to mean its opposite, "excellent," is a recent innovation of Black English. While it is of Black English origin, this usage has been recorded for over a century; the first known example dates from 1897. Even earlier, beginning in the 1850s, the word appears in the sense "formidable, very tough," as applied to persons. Whether or not the two usages are related, they both illustrate a favorite creative device of informal and slang language—using a word to mean the opposite of what it "really" means. This is by no means uncommon; people use words sarcastically to mean the opposite of their actual meanings on a daily basis. What is more unusual is for such a usage to be generally accepted within a larger community. Perhaps when the concepts are as basic as "good" and "bad" this general acceptance is made easier. A similar instance is the word uptight, which in the 1960s enjoyed usage in the sense "excellent" alongside its now-current, negative meaning of "stiff."
bad·ly   (bād'lē)   
adv.   worse (wûrs), worst (wûrst)
  1. In a bad manner.
  2. Very much; greatly. See Usage Note at bad1.
ill   (ĭl)   
adj.   worse (wûrs), worst (wûrst)
  1. Not healthy; sick: I began to feel ill last week.
  2. Not normal; unsound: an ill condition of body and mind.
  3. Resulting in suffering; harmful or distressing: the ill effects of a misconceived policy.
    1. Resulting from or suggestive of evil intentions: ill deeds committed out of spite.
    2. Ascribing an objectionable quality: holds an ill view of that political group.
    3. Hostile or unfriendly: ill feeling between rivals.
    4. Harmful; pernicious: the ill effects of a misconceived policy.
  5. Not favorable; unpropitious: ill predictions.
  6. Not measuring up to recognized standards of excellence, as of behavior or conduct.
adv.   worse, worst
  1. In a sickly or unsound manner; not well.
  2. Scarcely or with difficulty.
n.  
  1. Evil; sin.
  2. Disaster, distress, or harm.
  3. Something that causes suffering; trouble: the social ills of urban life.
  4. Something that reflects in an unfavorable way on one: Please don't speak ill of me when I'm gone.

[Middle English, from Old Norse īllr, bad.]
worst   (wûrst)   
adj.   Superlative of bad1, ill.
  1. Most inferior, as in quality, condition, or effect.
  2. Most severe or unfavorable.
  3. Being furthest from an ideal or a standard; least desirable or satisfactory.
adv.   Superlative of badly, ill.
In the worst manner or degree.
tr.v.   worst·ed, worst·ing, worsts
To gain the advantage over; defeat.
n.  Something that is worst.

[Middle English, from Old English wyrsta; see wers- in Indo-European roots.]
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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Worst

Worst\, a., superl. of Bad. [OE. werst, worste, wurste, AS. wyrst, wierst, wierrest. See Worse, a.] Bad, evil, or pernicious, in the highest degree, whether in a physical or moral sense. See Worse. "Heard so oft in worst extremes." --Milton.

I have a wife, the worst that may be. --Chaucer.

If thou hadst not been born the worst of men, Thou hadst been a knave and flatterer. --Shak.

Worst

Worst\, n. That which is most bad or evil; the most severe, pernicious, calamitous, or wicked state or degree.

The worst is not So long as we can say, This is the worst. --Shak.

He is always sure of finding diversion when the worst comes to the worst. --Addison.

Worst

Worst\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Worsted; p. pr. & vb. n. Worsting.] [See Worse, v. t. & a.] To gain advantage over, in contest or competition; to get the better of; to defeat; to overthrow; to discomfit.

The . . . Philistines were worsted by the captivated ark. --South.

Worst

Worst\, v. i. To grow worse; to deteriorate. [R.] "Every face . . . worsting." --Jane Austen.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : worst
Spanish: peor,
German: schlechtest,
Japanese: 最悪の
More Translations »

worst 
O.E. wyrresta, from P.Gmc. *wers-ista- (cf. O.S. wirsista, O.N. verstr, O.Fris. wersta, O.H.G. wirsisto), superlative of PIE *wers- "to confuse, mix up" (see worse). The verb meaning "damage, inflict loss upon" is first recorded 1602, from the adj. Phrase in the worst way (1839) is from Amer.Eng. sense of "most severely."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Main Entry: worst
superlative of ILL
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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worst

see at worst; get (have) the worst of it; if worst comes to worst; in the worst way. Also see under worse.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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