disimprove

D2I1S1I1M3P3R1O1V4E1

verb

To make worse.

OriginEnglish improve ← Middle English dis- ← Latin dis- →
Scrabble 18
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Meanings

verbdisimprove (third-person singular simple present disimproves, present participle disimproving, simple past and past participle disimproved)

present singular third person disimproves · participle present disimproving · participle past disimproved · past disimproved

  1. raretransitiveTo make worse.

    To which may be added this advantage, that the services of churchmen are rewardable upon the church's stock: no need to disimprove the royal banks to pay thanks to bishops.

    1642, Jeremy Taylor, The Sacred Order and Offices of Episcopacy or Episcopacy Asserted against the Arians and Acephali New and Old
  2. intransitiverareTo deteriorate.
  3. informalrareinfluenced by the German verb verschlimmbessernTo try to make something better but end up making it worse.

Origin

  1. Latindis-
  2. Old Frenchdes-
  3. Latindis-
  4. Middle Englishdis-
  5. Englishdis-
  6. Englishimprove
  7. Englishdisimprove

From dis- + improve.

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

improvisedmisprovide
Cite this entry
APA

disimprove. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/disimprove

MLA

“disimprove.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/disimprove. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “disimprove,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/disimprove.

Source: disimprove on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.