I. worse 1 S2 W2 /wɜːs $ wɜːrs/ BrE AmE adjective
[ Language: Old English ; Origin: wiersa , wyrsa ]
1 . [the comparative of bad] more unpleasant, bad, or severe ⇨ better
worse than
The violence was worse than we expected.
The traffic is much worse after five o'clock.
The weather was a lot worse this year.
Conditions will get worse as the winter continues.
High inflation will make unemployment worse.
Don’t say anything, you’ll only make matters worse.
The bullying got worse and worse until finally he had to leave the school.
There’s nothing worse than being robbed while you’re on holiday.
The school’s not perfect, but I suppose it could be worse.
2 . more ill than before:
If she’s worse in the morning, I’ll call the doctor.
I was worried because he seemed to be getting worse rather than better.
The tablets seemed to make him worse.
3 . be none the worse for something to not have been harmed by something:
She seemed none the worse for her night out in the cold.
4 . worse luck spoken used to say that you are disappointed or annoyed by something:
I’ve got one more year of college, worse luck!
5 . somebody could do worse than do something spoken used to say that you think that someone should do something:
He could do worse than marry Eleanor.
6 . go from bad to worse to continue getting worse:
Things went from bad to worse, and in the end she lost her job.
7 . the worse for wear ( also the worse for drink British English ) informal drunk
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GRAMMAR
worse, worst
Worse is a comparative form:
▪
The problem got worse and worse.
► Do not say 'more worse' or 'worser'.
Worst is a superlative form:
▪
It was the worst film (NOT the worse film) I have ever seen.
► Do not say 'most worst' or 'worstest'.
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COLLOCATIONS
■ adverbs
▪ much/a lot/far worse
Conditions were much worse in rural areas.
▪ considerably/substantially worse
To make matters considerably worse, he lost his job.
▪ infinitely worse (=very much worse)
My fate could have been infinitely worse.
▪ progressively/steadily worse
The violence grew progressively worse.
▪ even worse
My cooking’s even worse than yours.
■ verbs
▪ get/become/grow worse
The recession was getting worse.
▪ make something worse
Getting angry will just make things worse.
■ phrases
▪ worse and worse
The bullying got worse and worse.
▪ there’s nothing worse than ...
There’s nothing worse than lending something and not getting it back.
▪ something could be worse
Cheer up – things could be worse.
▪ better or worse
I wasn’t sure whether his behaviour was getting better or worse.
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THESAURUS
▪ worse more unpleasant, bad, severe etc, or of a lower standard or quality:
Recent reports indicate that the situation is getting worse.
|
Your French is even worse than mine!
▪ inferior of a lower standard or quality than something else, or less good than someone else:
Their wines are of inferior quality.
|
an inferior product
|
Trying to do things on the cheap only results in an inferior service.
▪ not compare with something used to emphasize that someone or something is not nearly as good, big, or nice as someone or something else:
This recording just doesn’t compare with his early recordings.
|
Our sales this year do not compare with last year’s outstanding results.
▪ not be in the same league informal used to emphasize that the standard of someone or something is not nearly as good as someone or something else:
He’s pretty good, but he’s not in the same league as his brother.
▪ not be a patch on something/somebody British English informal use this to emphasize that something is not nearly as good as something else, especially something that came before it:
The film wasn’t a patch on the book.
|
He’s not a patch on Tarantino as an director.
II. worse 2 BrE AmE noun [uncountable]
1 . something worse ⇨ better :
We thought the situation was bad, but worse was to follow.
2 . take a turn for the worse to change and become worse:
Last year his health took a turn for the worse.
III. worse 3 S3 W3 BrE AmE adverb [the comparative of badly]
in a more severe or serious way than before ⇨ better
worse than
By lunch time it was raining worse than ever.
[sentence adverb]
The business could become less profitable or, even worse, could close down.
Suppose Rose, or worse still, Peter had seen the photograph?