- of poorer quality or lower standard; more unpleasant
- The rooms were awful and the food was worse.
- The weather got worse during the day.
- I've been to far worse places.
- worse than something The film was no worse than many others he made in the 1930s.
- The interview was much worse than he had expected.
- The area seemed almost worse than the city he had left.
- worse than doing something There's nothing worse than going out in the cold with wet hair.
- worse for somebody/something It's much worse for the parents than it is for the child.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- be
- feel
- look
- …
- considerably
- dramatically
- far
- …
- no
- not any
Definitions on the go
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- more serious or severe
- They were trying to prevent an even worse tragedy.
- The crisis was getting worse and worse.
- Don't tell her that—you'll only make things worse.
- Could things get any worse?
- Never mind—it could be worse (= although the situation is bad, it is not as bad as it might have been).
- worse than (doing) something The situation was worse than he had imagined.
- It's not just the government's poor ratings in the opinion polls. It's worse than that.
- Killing someone is considered morally worse than letting them die.
Extra Examples- Ignoring the problem will make it worse.
- The news got dramatically worse.
- The problem became progressively worse.
- The problem is getting worse all the time.
- Things could be a sight worse (= much worse) than they are.
- Things were about to get very much worse.
- We've run out of coffee. Worse still, we can't get any more until tomorrow.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- be
- feel
- look
- …
- considerably
- dramatically
- far
- …
- no
- not any
- [not before noun] more ill or unhappy
- If he gets any worse, we'll call the doctor.
- worse than… He told her she'd let them down and she felt worse than ever.
- She seems worse than she was yesterday.
Extra Examples- I feel even worse today!
- The pain grew worse.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- be
- feel
- look
- …
- considerably
- dramatically
- far
- …
- no
- not any
Word OriginOld English wyrsa, wiersa (adjective), wiers (adverb), of Germanic origin; related to war.
Idioms
See worse in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee worse in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishsomebody’s bark is worse than their bite
- (informal) used to say that somebody is not really as angry or as aggressive as they sound
come off worse
- to lose a fight, competition, etc. or suffer more compared with others
a fate worse than death
- (often humorous) a terrible thing that could happen
- At the last minute she was saved from a fate worse than death.
Extra Examples- Getting married seemed a fate worse than death.
- Obeying his parents' wishes for his life seemed a fate worse than death.
go from bad to worse
- (of a bad condition, situation, etc.) to get even worse
worse luck!
- (British English, informal) used to show that you are disappointed about something
- I shall have to miss the party, worse luck!
Check pronunciation:
worse