worsen B2 Topic:Cause, Change & Process US /wɔːsn̩/ UK /ˈwɜːsn̩/ See IPA manual Freq #34906 Meanings 1 verb To become worse. The weather worsened as the night went on. 2 verb To make something worse. Cutting the budget will only worsen the situation. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 verb · to become worse. declinedeteriorate 2 verb · to make something worse. aggravateexacerbate More atrophyconfoundcrackdegeneratedevolvefadelapsemolderpejorateretrograde ↔ Opposites amelioratebetterimprove Word family Forms worsenedworsens Related forms aggravatebaddeteriorated Etymology AI details From Middle English wursnen; equivalent to worse + -en. wursnen Middle English View etymology graph -> Topics Cause, Change & Process Actions & Processes External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # worsen **Type:** Word **Level:** B2 **Part of speech:** verb **IPA (US):** /wɔːsn̩/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈwɜːsn̩/ **Frequency rank:** 34906 ## Meanings 1. To become worse. 2. To make something worse. ## Examples - The weather worsened as the night went on. - Cutting the budget will only worsen the situation. ## Synonyms - atrophy - confound - crack - decline - degenerate - deteriorate - devolve - fade - lapse - molder - pejorate - retrograde ## Antonyms - ameliorate - better - improve ## Related Forms - aggravate - bad - deteriorated ## Roots and Affixes - Root: wursnen ## Etymology From Middle English wursnen; equivalent to worse + -en. ## AI Etymology Worsen is from Middle English wursnen; equivalent to worse + -en. A key historical form is Middle English wursnen. In present-day use, it can mean to become worse, or to make something worse. Related words include aggravate, bad, deteriorated. ## Topics - Cause, Change & Process - Actions & Processes markdown