worse
pronunciation
How to pronounce worse in British English:
UK [wɜːs]
How to pronounce worse in American English:
US [wɜːrs]
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- Noun:
- something inferior in quality or condition or effect
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- Adjective:
- (comparative of `bad') inferior to another in quality or condition or desirability
- changed for the worse in health or fitness
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- Adverb:
- (comparative of `ill') in a less effective or successful or desirable manner
Word Origin
- worse
- worse: [OE] Worse goes back to prehistoric Germanic *wersizon. This was a comparative formation based on *wers-, which also produced English war and German wirren ‘confuse’. The superlative worst [OE] came from the same base.
- worse (adj.)
- Old English wiersa, wyrsa "worse," from Proto-Germanic *wers-izon- (cognates: Old Saxon wirs, Old Norse verri, Swedish värre, Old Frisian wirra, Old High German wirsiro, Gothic wairsiza "worse"), comparative of PIE *wers- (1) "to confuse, mix up" (cognates: Old High German werra "strife," Old Saxon werran "to entangle, compound;" see war (n.)). Used as a comparative of bad, evil, ill or as the opposite of better. The adverb is Old English wyrs; the noun is Old English wyrsa. Phrase for better or for worse is attested from late 14c. (for bet, for wers); to change for the worse is recorded from c. 1400.
Synonym
Antonym
Example
- 1. This year could be worse .
- 2. Cairo might be even worse .
- 3. That would be even worse .
- 4. It could have been worse .
- 5. Our one-party democracy is worse .