Worse Things Extra Examples Problem Fate Death Adjective

• the rooms were awful and the food was worse.
• the weather got worse during the day.
• i've been to far worse places.
• the film was no worse than many others he made in the 1930s.

worse

1. of poorer quality or lower standard; less good or 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.
• 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.
• There's nothing worse than going out in the cold with wet hair.
• It's much worse for the parents than it is for the child.
2. 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).
• 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.
3. more ill or unhappy
• If he gets any worse, we'll call the doctor.
• 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.
4. used to say that somebody is not really as angry or as aggressive as they sound
5. to lose a fight, competition, etc. or suffer more compared with others
6. a terrible thing that could happen
• At the last minute the hero saves her from a fate worse than death.

Extra Examples

• Getting married seemed a fate worse than death.
• Obeying her parents' wishes for her life seemed a fate worse than death.
7. to get even worse
8. used to show that you are disappointed about something
• I shall have to miss the party, worse luck!

Word Origin

• Old English wyrsa, wiersa (adjective), wiers (adverb), of Germanic origin; related to war.