worse

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Seeing the markets taking a turn for the worse is a scary thing ... especially when it gets you thinking about the security of your own job.

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Definitions (25)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (7)

  1. adjective More inferior, as in quality, condition, or effect.
  2. adjective More severe or unfavorable.
  3. adjective Being further from a standard; less desirable or satisfactory.
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Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (10)

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Examples (50)

  • She had been resting in the lieutenant governor's office adjacent to the Senate chambers in the Capitol yesterday afternoon and was prepared to vote on other bills before she took a turn for the worse, a Senate official said.
  • The state's financial crisis is about to take a turn for the worse -- much worse. —  AroundTheCapitol.com
  • While the economy and housing market have taken a turn for the worse, your goal of creating the home of your dreams doesn't need to be put on hold. —  London Free Press - News
  • But now with the economy taking a turn for the worse, anyone who was on the fence, who wasn't sure, who didn't have a lot of experience with it, is now rushing headlong into virtualization. —  E-Commerce Times
  • "This lull will only last until the imprisoned fires overcome the block in the crater, and the longer it lasts the worse will be the explosion. —  Blown to Bits The Lonely Man of Rakata, the Malay Archipelago
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This word has been looked up 143 times.

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Etymologies (4)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Middle English, from Old English wyrsa; see wers- in Indo-European roots.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (3)

  1. I. comparative worse; early modern English also warse, wars; from Middle English wors, wurse, wirse, werse, wors, wers, from Anglo-Saxon wirsa, wyrsa = Old Saxon wirsa = OFries. wirra, werra = Middle High German wirser = lcel. verri = Swedish värre = Danish værre = Gothic (Moesogothic) wairsiza, worse; with comparative suffix (lost or assimilated in the later forms, but appearing in the Gothic (Moesogothic) wairsiza), prob. from a Teutonic root appearing in Old High German werran (German wirren), twist, entangle, confuse (later Old High German werra, confusion, broil, war), perhaps allied to L. verrere (preterit verri, past participle versus), whirl, toss about, drive, sweep along. Cf. war, and see war (Scots waur, etc.), ult. a doublet of worse. Cf. worser. II. superlative worst, from Middle English worste, werste, wurst, from Anglo-Saxon wyrsta, wyrsesta, also by assimilation wyrresta, = Old Saxon wirsista = Old High German wirsisto, wirsesto, contr. wirst = Icelandic verstr = Swedish värst = Danish værst, worst, superlative of the preceding. The s belongs to the root.
  2. I. comparative worse, from Middle English wors, wurs, wers, etc., from Anglo-Saxon wyrs = Old Saxon wirs = Middle Low German wers = Middle High German wirs = lcel. verr = Gothic (Moesogothic) wairs, worse; with comparative suffix, lost in the adverb (as with bet): see worse, a. II. superlative worst, from Middle English worst, werst, from Anglo-Saxon wyrst = lcel. verst = Swedish värst = Danish værst, worst, superlative of worse: see above.
  3. from Middle English wersen, wursen, worsen, from Anglo-Saxon wyrsian, become worse, from wyrsa, worse: see worse, adjective
 

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/wərs/
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