worse

A2 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /wɝs/ UK /wɜːs/ See IPA manual

Minimal pairs

Sounds like worth /θ/ vs /s/ Sounds like verse /v/ vs /w/

Freq #735

Meanings

1

adj
Comparative of bad; of lower quality or in a poorer condition.

This road is bad, but the other one was much worse.
2

adv
In a less good or less successful way.

They did worse on the second exam than on the first.
3

adj
More ill than before.

I feel worse today than I did yesterday.
4

noun
Something that is less good than another.

We promised to stay together, for better or for worse.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

3 adj · more ill than before. worsened

Appears in

Proverbs (4)

See all

Etymology

From Middle English worse, werse, from Old English wiersa, from Proto-West Germanic *wirsiʀō, from Proto-Germanic *wirsizô. Cognate with Dutch wers (“worse”).

worse Middle English wiersa Old English *wirsiʀō Proto-West Germanic *wirsizô Proto-Germanic

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities

External links

# worse

**Type:** Word
**Level:** A2
**Part of speech:** adj, adv, noun
**IPA (US):** /wɝs/
**IPA (UK):** /wɜːs/
**Frequency rank:** 735

## Meanings
1. Comparative of bad; of lower quality or in a poorer condition.
2. In a less good or less successful way.
3. More ill than before.
4. Something that is less good than another.

## Examples
- This road is bad, but the other one was much worse.
- They did worse on the second exam than on the first.
- I feel worse today than I did yesterday.
- We promised to stay together, for better or for worse.

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: worse
- Root: wiersa
- Root: *wirsiʀō
- Root: *wirsizô

## Etymology
From Middle English worse, werse, from Old English wiersa, from Proto-West Germanic *wirsiʀō, from Proto-Germanic *wirsizô. Cognate with Dutch wers (“worse”).

## AI Etymology
Worse is from Middle English worse, werse, from Old English wiersa, from Proto-West Germanic *wirsiʀō, from Proto-Germanic *wirsizô. Cognate with Dutch wers (“worse”). Important historical forms include Middle English worse, Old English wiersa, Proto-West Germanic *wirsiʀō, and Proto-Germanic *wirsizô. In present-day use, it can mean comparative of bad; of lower quality or in a poorer condition, or in a less good or less successful way.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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