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# worse

«worse» in Mova's school dictionary: **more bad, of lower quality, or more unpleasant than…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

adjective, comparative of bad (bad, worse, worst); adverb, comparative of badly (badly, worse, worst)

### meaning for a pupil

1) Worse means more bad, of lower quality, or more unpleasant than something else. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/worse/#m1)

2) Worse means more ill: «He felt worse in the night». [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/worse/#m2)

3) As an adverb, worse means more badly: «She sang worse than before». [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/worse/#m3)

### sense in the lessons

In everyday life and health, «getting worse» about an illness means it is time to see a doctor. In stories, things getting worse builds tension. In maths and data, «worse» compares results: a lower score is worse in a test, but in golf or a race time a bigger number is worse. Phrases: «worse and worse», «even worse», «to make matters worse», «worse off» (in a worse situation), «none the worse».

### examples

- My cold is worse today. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/worse/#x1)
- This weather is worse than yesterday's. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/worse/#x2)
- To make things worse, I forgot my umbrella. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/worse/#x3)
- His handwriting is getting worse and worse. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/worse/#x4)
- Don't scratch the bite or it will get worse. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/worse/#x5)
- Lying only made it worse. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/worse/#x6)
- She played worse than usual. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/worse/#x7)
- Things could be worse! [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/worse/#x8)
- He gives another puff--worse than ever! [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/worse/#x9)

### note

Irregular: bad → worse → worst. Never say «badder» or «more bad». «Worse» compares two things; «worst» is the most bad of all. Opposite: better. Do not confuse «worse» with «worst» or «verse».

### In the corpora

- [Inflation means prices rise over time, so the same pound buys less; if pay rises more slowly, families are worse off.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/9-when-money-is-tight/11/)
- [The silent treatment usually makes things worse, and children should not have to carry messages between upset grown-ups.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/14-grown-ups-who-argue-and-make-up/8/)
- [Speed limits exist because faster cars cause worse accidents, especially near schools and homes.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/30-police-courts-and-prison/16/)
- [Laughing kindly with someone who tripped is fine; laughing at them makes their embarrassment worse.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/36-big-feelings-in-big-people/17/)
- [Planning to hide cheating is worse than making a mistake.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/ai/10-using-ai-to-learn-not-to-copy/16/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «worse» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/worse/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.