worse
- 01 A2 Elementary
adj.of lower quality or more unpleasant than something else.
adj.the comparative form of 'bad', indicating a lower standard of quality or a greater degree of unpleasantness.
Simple“The weather is even worse today than it was yesterday.”
In context“The economic conditions in the rural provinces are significantly worse than those in the capital, leading to mass migration.”
PitfallThe weather today is more worse than yesterday. The weather today is worse than yesterday.Do not use 'more' with 'worse' because 'worse' is already a comparative form.
- 02 B1 Intermediate
adv.in a way that is more serious or harmful.
adv.the comparative form of 'badly', used to describe actions or states that occur with greater severity or less skill.
Simple“He played worse in the second half of the game.”
In context“The patient's condition began to deteriorate worse than the doctors had initially predicted, requiring immediate surgical intervention.”
Synonymsmore badlymore severelyAntonyms - 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.the part of a situation that is less good or more harmful.
n.a thing or circumstance that is of inferior quality or greater severity compared to another.
Simple“The situation took a turn for the worse when it started to rain.”
In context“Despite the intervention, the political climate changed for the worse, resulting in the suspension of diplomatic talks.”
UsageOften used in the phrase 'for the worse'.
Antonyms
Usage concurrent worse
From Middle English worse, werse, from Old English wiersa, from Proto-West Germanic wirsiʀō, from Proto-Germanic wirsizô. Cognate with Dutch wers (“worse”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.