Meanings
alternative verse
- comparativecomparative form of badly (adverb): more badly
The harder you try, the worse you do.
1 more example
Irregular bedtimes may disrupt healthy brain development in young children, according to a study of intelligence and sleeping habits. ¶ Going to bed at a different time each night affected girls more than boys, but both fared worse on mental tasks than children who had a set bedtime, researchers found.
2013 July 19, Ian Sample, “Irregular bedtimes may affect children's brains”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 6, page 34 - Less skillfully.
He drives worse than anyone else I know.
- sentence adverbUsed to start a sentence describing something that is worse.
Her leg is infected. Still worse, she's developing a fever.
alternative verse
- obsoleteLoss; disadvantage; defeat
Judah was put to the worse before Israel.
1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 2 Kings 4:12 - That which is worse; something less good.
Do not think the worse of him for his enterprise.
present singular third person worses · participle present worsing · participle past worsed · past worsed · alternative verse
- obsoletetransitiveTo make worse; to put at disadvantage; to discomfit.
Weapons more violent, when next we meet, / May serve to better us and worse our foes.
1667, John Milton, “Book VI”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC
Synonyms & antonyms
adjective(comparative of ‘bad’) inferior to another in quality or condition or desirability
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Germanic*wirsizô
- Proto-West Germanic*wirsiʀō
- Old Englishwiersa
- Middle Englishworse
- Englishworse
From Middle English worse, werse, from Old English wiersa, from Proto-West Germanic *wirsiʀō, from Proto-Germanic *wirsizô. Cognate with Dutch wers (“worse”).
More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek ἥσσων, χείρων
- ἥσσων (hḗssōn)comparative form of bad
- χείρων (kheírōn)comparative form of bad
Arabic أَسْوَأ
- أَسْوَأ (ʔaswaʔ)comparative form of bad
Bulgarian по-лош
- по-лош (po-loš)comparative form of bad
Catalan pitjor, pitjor
- pitjorcomparative form of bad
- pitjorcomparative of badly
Chinese Mandarin 更壞 /更坏, 更糟
- 更壞 /更坏 (gèng huài)comparative form of bad
- 更糟 (gèng zāo)comparative form of bad
- 比較壞 /比较坏 (bǐjiào huài)comparative form of bad
Czech horší, hůře
- horšícomparative form of bad
- hůřecomparative of badly
- hůřcomparative of badly
Danish værre, dårligere
- værrecomparative form of bad
- dårligerecomparative form of bad
- værrecomparative of badly
- dårligerecomparative of badly
Dutch slechter, erger
- slechtercomparative form of bad
- ergercomparative form of bad
- slechtercomparative of badly
Esperanto pli malbona
- pli malbonacomparative form of bad
Finnish huonompi, huonommin
- huonompicomparative form of bad
- huonommincomparative of badly
- pahemmincomparative of badly
French pire, plus mauvais
- pirecomparative form of bad
- plus mauvaiscomparative form of bad
- plus malcomparative of badly
German schlechter, schlimmer
- schlechtercomparative form of bad
- schlimmercomparative form of bad
- ärgercomparative form of bad
- schlechtercomparative of badly
- schlimmercomparative of badly
Greek χειρότερος, χειρότερα
- χειρότερος (cheiróteros)comparative form of bad
- χειρότερα (cheirótera)comparative of badly
Hungarian rosszabb
- rosszabbcomparative form of bad
Italian peggiore
- peggiorecomparative form of bad
Japanese さらに…悪い, もっと悪い
- さらに…悪い (sara ni…warui)comparative form of bad
- もっと悪いcomparative form of bad
- いっそう悪い (issō warui)comparative form of bad
- より悪いcomparative form of bad
Korean 더 나쁜
- 더 나쁜 (deo nappeun)comparative form of bad
Latin peior, nēquior
- peiorcomparative form of bad
- nēquiorcomparative form of bad
- dēteriorcomparative form of bad
Norwegian Bokmål verre, dårligere
- verrecomparative form of bad
- dårligerecomparative form of bad
- verrecomparative of badly
- dårligerecomparative of badly
Persian بدتر
- بدتر (badtar)comparative form of bad
Polish gorszy, gorzej
- gorszycomparative form of bad
- gorzejcomparative of badly
Portuguese pior, pior
- piorcomparative form of bad
- piorcomparative of badly
Romanian mai rău
- mai răucomparative of badly
Russian ху́же, ху́дший
- ху́же (xúže)comparative form of bad
- ху́дший (xúdšij)comparative form of bad
- ху́же (xúže)comparative of badly
Slovak horší, horšie
- horšícomparative form of bad
- horšiecomparative of badly
Spanish peor, peor
- peorcomparative form of bad
- peorcomparative of badly
Swedish värre, sämre
- värrecomparative form of bad
- sämrecomparative form of bad
- värrecomparative of badly
- sämrecomparative of badly
Tagalog lalong masama
- lalong masamacomparative form of bad
Thai เลวกว่า, แย่กว่า
- เลวกว่าcomparative form of bad
- แย่กว่าcomparative form of bad
Ukrainian гі́рший, гі́рше
- гі́рший (híršyj)comparative form of bad
- гі́рше (hírše)comparative of badly
Vietnamese xấu hơn, tệ hơn
- xấu hơncomparative form of bad
- tệ hơncomparative form of bad
Welsh gwaeth
- gwaethcomparative form of bad
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with worse
Anagrams
Cite this entry
worse. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/worse
“worse.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/worse. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “worse,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/worse.
Source: worse on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.