INDEX:
1. worse
2. to become worse
3. to make a bad or difficult situation worse
4. worst
5. when someone who is ill becomes worse
RELATED WORDS
opposite
↑ BETTER
see also
↑ BAD
↑ IMPROVE
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1. worse
▷ worse /wɜːʳs/ [adjective]
more unpleasant, annoying, bad etc, or of a lower standard or quality than someone or something else that is also bad :
▪ I really don’t think the situation could be any worse.
worse than
▪ Conditions in the prison were worse than anything I had seen before.
▪ Stop it Gary, you’re worse than the kids!
even/far worse
worse than something that is very bad
▪ Duncan’s handwriting is even worse than his sister’s.
▪ a terrible script and even worse acting
a lot worse/much worse
▪ The traffic is a lot worse after five o'clock.
▪ The next morning, the weather was much worse, and the team stayed at base camp.
make something worse
▪ I tried to fix the computer myself, but that just made it worse.
▷ not as good /ˌnɒt əz ˈgʊd/ [adjective phrase]
of a lower standard, quality, or level than something else that is good :
▪ I like this town better than Harrisburg, but the schools aren’t as good.
not as good as
▪ This book is not as good as her last one.
▪ The fishing out there isn’t as good as it used to be.
not nearly as good as/nowhere near as good as
use to emphasize that the difference in quality is quite big
▪ Their latest album isn’t nearly as good as their last one.
▪ Cheap, plastic-wrapped cheese is nowhere near as good as the real thing.
▷ inferior /ɪnˈfɪ ə riəʳ/ [adjective] formal
of a lower quality than something else, or less good at doing something than someone else :
▪ Consumers are tired of paying a high price for what is an increasingly inferior service.
▪ California oil is a heavier and inferior grade of oil, compared with other crude oils.
inferior to
▪ Old Mr Carter was convinced that women doctors were inferior to men.
inferior in quality/status/worth etc
▪ White bread is generally inferior in nutritional value.
of inferior quality/materials/status etc
▪ Their furniture is certainly cheaper, but it’s of inferior quality.
▷ not be in the same league/can’t compare with /nɒt biː ɪn ðə ˌseɪm ˈliːg, ˌkɑːnt kəmˈpeəʳ wɪðǁˌkænt-/ [verb phrase] especially spoken
use this to emphasize that someone or something is not nearly as good as someone or something else :
▪ How can you compare him to Ivan Lendl? He’s not in the same league at all.
▪ Vinyl is strong and looks good but it doesn’t compare with real leather.
not be in the same league as
▪ It’s quite a good movie but not in the same league as ‘High Noon’ or ‘The Magnificent Seven’
▷ not be a patch on /nɒt biː ə ˈpætʃ ɒn/ [verb phrase] British informal
use this to emphasize that something is not nearly as good as something else, especially something that came before it :
▪ Shop-bought pasta sauces aren’t a patch on home-made.
▪ This year’s charity marathon wasn’t a patch on last year’s.
2. to become worse
▷ get worse /ˌget ˈwɜːʳs/ [verb phrase]
▪ The food here gets worse every day.
▪ My eyesight must be getting worse.
▪ I don’t think things can get much worse!
get worse and worse
▪ The tension in the flat got worse and worse, and Kate thought about moving out.
▪ Paul’s behaviour seems to get worse and worse.
▷ deteriorate /dɪˈtɪ ə riəreɪt/ [intransitive verb] formal
to gradually become worse :
▪ If the dispute drags on, conditions in the city could deteriorate.
▪ The US trade position has deteriorated over the past few years.
deteriorate rapidly
▪ Air quality is rapidly deteriorating in our cities.
deteriorate to the level/point/stage where . . .
to deteriorate so much that a particular problem is caused
▪ School buildings have deteriorated to the point where they pose a health threat to both students and teachers.
deterioration /dɪˌtɪ ə riəˈreɪʃ ə n/ [uncountable noun]
▪ the further deterioration of relations between the two countries
deteriorating [adjective]
▪ our deteriorating road network
▪ deteriorating standards of living
▷ go down/decline /ˌgəʊ ˈdaʊn, dɪˈklaɪn/ [intransitive verb]
to become gradually worse - use this especially about the quality or standard of something :
▪ He’s been very unhappy and depressed recently, and his work has definitely gone down.
▪ The quality of life for pensioners in this country has certainly declined recently.
go right down
British
▪ The standard of service has gone right down since the company was privatized.
declining [adjective]
▪ Educationalists are worried about what they see as declining standards of literacy.
▷ worsen /ˈwɜːʳs ə n/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
if a bad situation worsens, or something worsens it, it becomes worse :
▪ The weather worsened during the night.
▪ The government’s bungling attempts to help have only worsened the refugees’ plight.
▪ The situation was worsened by Roy’s tendency to drink heavily in times of stress.
worsening [adjective]
▪ The worsening economic conditions here have destroyed many small businesses.
▪ worsening air pollution
▷ go from bad to worse /ˌgəʊ frəm ˌbæd tə ˈwɜːʳs/ [verb phrase]
if a situation goes from bad to worse, it is already bad and then becomes even worse :
▪ The rail service has gone from bad to worse since it was privatised.
▪ Things went from bad to worse, and soon the pair were barely talking to each other.
▷ go downhill /ˌgəʊ daʊnˈhɪl/ [verb phrase]
to start getting worse, especially after a particular time or event :
▪ Moving in together was a mistake, and things rapidly went downhill.
▪ When things started to go downhill, Kyle began looking for another job.
▪ I said I didn’t like baseball, and the interview went downhill from then on.
▷ suffer /ˈsʌfəʳ/ [intransitive verb]
if the quality of something suffers, it becomes worse as it begins to be affected by something :
▪ His school work suffered because he was continually worried about his mother.
▪ The ferry line denied that safety would suffer if costs were cut.
▪ Her husband, a lawyer, suffered professionally for having to leave the office early every night.
▷ slip /slɪp/ [intransitive verb]
if standards slip, they get worse, because people are not trying hard enough to keep the standards high :
▪ Standards have slipped in the past few months, and we have to try and improve our performance.
let things slip
▪ He used to make sure his apartment was in immaculate condition, but he’s let things slip recently.
▷ deepen /ˈdiːpən/ [intransitive verb]
if a bad situation deepens, it gets worse - use this especially about serious political or military problems :
▪ As the crisis deepened, it became clear that the government was losing control.
▪ The company’s legal and financial problems are deepening.
deepening [adjective]
▪ There was an atmosphere of deepening discontent in the country.
▪ deepening political and economic troubles
▷ degenerate /dɪˈdʒenəreɪt/ [intransitive verb] formal
if a situation degenerates, it becomes much worse :
▪ There’s no denying that our relationship has degenerated over the years.
degenerate into
▪ Attempts by the UK government to prop up the pound on the exchange markets degenerated into chaos.
▪ What should have been a civilised debate degenerated into an unseemly row between the two sides.
▪ Don’t allow your comments to degenerate into a personal attack on the employee.
3. to make a bad or difficult situation worse
▷ make things worse/make it worse /ˌmeɪk θɪŋz ˈwɜːʳs, ˌmeɪk ɪt ˈwɜːʳs/ [verb phrase]
to make a bad or difficult situation even worse, especially when you were trying to improve it :
▪ Don’t interfere. You’ll only make things worse.
▪ Trying not to laugh aloud made it worse, and for a moment or two, they were both helpless with suppressed laughter.
▪ Why not try running the anti-virus software? It can’t make things any worse, can it?
▷ to make matters/things worse /tə ˌmeɪk mætəʳz, θɪŋz ˈwɜːʳs/ [adverb]
use this to talk above something that makes a bad situation even worse :
▪ To make matters worse, the director’s gone on holiday without leaving anyone in charge.
▪ To make things worse, Jimmy suddenly announced he’d left his passport at home.
▷ aggravate /ˈægrəveɪt/ [transitive verb]
to make a bad or difficult situation even worse :
▪ Air pollution may aggravate a child’s asthma.
▪ Is the pain aggravated by coughing or laughing?
▪ Any talk of price rises now will only aggravate an already serious situation.
▷ exacerbate /ɪgˈzæsəʳbeɪt/ [transitive verb] formal
to make a bad or difficult situation even worse :
▪ The family’s problems were exacerbated when Walter lost his job.
▪ Ironically, the government’s reassurances may have exacerbated fear about the disease.
▷ compound /kəmˈpaʊnd/ [transitive verb usually in passive]
if something compounds a problem, mistake, or difficulty, it adds to the existing problem so that the general situation gets even worse than before :
▪ Strong nationalist sentiment is compounding the deep political problems faced by the President.
be compounded by
▪ John and Val’s domestic problems were compounded by stress at work.
▪ The effects of the East Coast snows this year were compounded by severe storms in the spring.
▷ to add insult to injury /tʊ æd ˌɪnsʌlt tʊ ˈɪndʒəri/ [adverb]
use that to say that something makes a bad situation worse for someone, by unfairly giving them another problem that relates to or is a result of the original one :
▪ The bank not only refused to refund the money but, to add insult to injury, charged me for the letter telling me so!
4. worst
▷ worst /wɜːʳst/ [adjective only before noun]
worse than anything else or worse than at any time before :
▪ In my opinion, that’s the worst movie of all time.
▪ The doctor said it was one of the worst cases of food poisoning he’d ever seen.
▪ UN workers were withdrawn from the western areas, where the worst bloodshed has occurred.
by far the worst
much worse than any other
▪ It’s by far the worst neighborhood in the whole city.
▪ First thing in the morning is by far the worst time to ask Dad a favour.
▷ hit/reach rock bottom /ˌhɪt, ˌriːtʃ rɒk ˈbɒtəmǁ-rɑːk ˈbɑːtəm/ [verb phrase]
if a situation hits or reaches rock bottom, it is worse than it has ever been before, and cannot get any worse than that :
▪ After we lost the contract, morale in the office reached rock bottom.
▪ Confidence in the city’s police force has hit rock bottom.
▷ something takes the cake also something takes the biscuit British / something ˌteɪks ðə ˈkeɪk, something ˌteɪks ðə ˈbɪskə̇t/ [verb phrase] spoken informal
use this to say that something is the worst of its kind - used especially in a humorous way :
▪ I’ve known some idiots in my time, but you really take the cake.
▪ This last little escapade really takes the biscuit, Tom.
5. when someone who is ill becomes worse
▷ get worse /ˌget ˈwɜːʳs/ [verb phrase]
if someone who is ill gets worse or their condition gets worse, they become more seriously ill :
▪ I’m afraid your father is getting worse, and we’ll have to keep him in hospital.
▪ The chest pains got worse, and the family doctor was called.
▷ deteriorate /dɪˈtɪ ə riəreɪt/ [intransitive verb] formal
if someone’s medical condition deteriorates, it gets worse :
▪ Nina’s hearing had deteriorated considerably since I last saw her.
▪ His condition deteriorated rapidly during the night.
▷ relapse /rɪˈlæps/ [intransitive verb not in progressive]
if someone who has a serious illness relapses, they get worse when they had previously been getting better :
▪ On vacation at home, he relapsed and had to return to hospital for further tests.
▪ Most drug abusers relapse within a year.
relapse [countable noun usually singular]
have/suffer a relapse
▪ Grandad had an unexpected relapse and died within a week.
▪ These herbal remedies become less effective if the patient suffers a relapse.