Worse

/wɜːs/ · adjective

Meaning

(for non-slang definitions) comparative form of bad: more bad.

Definitions by Sense

1. (for non-slang definitions) comparative form of bad: more bad
2. comparative form of badly (adverb): more badly
3. Less skillfully.
4. More severely or seriously.
5. (sentence adverb) Used to start a sentence describing something that is worse.
6. (obsolete) Loss; disadvantage; defeat
7. That which is worse; something less good.
8. (obsolete, transitive) To make worse; to put at disadvantage; to discomfit.

Example Sentences

Your exam results are worse than before.

The harder you try, the worse you do.

Irregular bedtimes may disrupt healthy brain development in young children, according to a study of intelligence and sleeping habits. ¶ Going to bed at a different time each night affected girls more than boys, but both fared worse on mental tasks than children who had a set bedtime, researchers found.

He drives worse than anyone else I know.

The bad news affected me worse than it did my brother.

Her leg is infected. Still worse, she's developing a fever.

Judah was put to the worse before Israel.

Do not think the worse of him for his enterprise.

Synonyms for worse

Antonyms for worse

Related Words

Word Forms

• verse
• worses
• worsing
• worsed

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

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