Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English.
1.
Worse is the comparative of bad .
2.
Worse is the comparative of badly .
3.
Worse is used to form the comparative of compound adjectives beginning with ‘bad’ and ‘badly.’ For example, the comparative of ‘badly off’ is ‘~ off’.
4.
If a situation goes from bad to ~, it becomes even more unpleasant or unsatisfactory.
For the past couple of years my life has gone from bad to ~.
PHRASE: V inflects
5.
If a situation changes for the ~, it becomes more unpleasant or more difficult.
The grandparents sigh and say how things have changed for the ~.
PHRASE: PHR after v
6.
If a person or thing is the ~ for something, they have been harmed or badly affected by it. If they are none the ~ for it, they have not been harmed or badly affected by it.
Father came home from the pub very much the ~ for drink...
They are all apparently fit and well and none the ~ for the fifteen hour journey.
PHRASE: PHR after v, PHR n
7.
for better or ~: see better