worse
worse — adjective
1. having a lower quality or standard, or being more unpleasant or serious, when co
having a lower quality or standard, or being more unpleasant or serious, when compared with another thing or with how things were before
The service at this café is worse than at the one on Main Street.
worse + than [noun] for comparing
Owen thought the movie sequel was far worse than the original.
far worse — intensifier before comparative
Things got worse after the bridge collapsed, cutting off food supplies.
A worse problem than the slow internet was the frequent power cuts.
Talia's cold coffee was bad, but the burnt toast made the meal even worse.
- better
direct opposite — of higher quality, more pleasant, or less severe
文法句型
worse + than + noun/clause
用法筆記
Commonly used with intensifiers such as much, far, even, and a lot before it, and followed by than to introduce the thing being compared.
常見錯誤
2. less healthy than before; suffering from a more serious medical condition than e
less healthy than before; suffering from a more serious medical condition than earlier
Ravindra caught a cold and felt worse each day until he saw a doctor.
feel worse — health-related use
The patient's condition became worse overnight, so the nurses called the specialist.
become worse — worsening condition
Emily was sent home from school because she looked worse than in the morning.
Tariq was getting worse despite taking all the medicine the pharmacist gave him.
- better
less ill; recovering or recovered in health
文法句型
feel/get/become/look + worse
用法筆記
This sense is predicative only — it cannot go before a noun. You can say 'She is worse today' but not 'a worse patient.' Distinguish from sense 1, where worse can be attributive ('a worse problem').
常見錯誤
worse — noun
1. something that is even more unpleasant, difficult, or serious than what has alre
something that is even more unpleasant, difficult, or serious than what has already happened or what currently exists
Matthew lost his passport, but worse was to come when he missed his flight.
worse was to come — fixed phrase for more bad news ahead
The family prepared for worse when the doctor said the treatment might not work.
prepare for worse — anticipating more trouble
Sofie's phone was stolen, and to make matters worse, her car was broken into that night.
The restaurant served cold soup, but worse was to come when the main course arrived burnt.
- deterioration
more formal; names the process of becoming worse, not a specific bad thing
- downside
refers to a negative aspect already in view, not a new bad thing that arrives
- better
something more pleasant or favourable than the current situation
文法句型
the worse / a change for the worse / worse was to come / to make matters worse
用法筆記
Unlike the adjective sense, this noun sense cannot be modified by intensifiers like much or far. Instead it appears in fixed expressions (a change for the worse, worse was to come, to make matters worse) or as the subject of a sentence (worse followed).
常見錯誤
worse — adverb
1. not as well, successfully, or satisfactorily as before or as someone or somethin
not as well, successfully, or satisfactorily as before or as someone or something else
The band played worse than they had at their last concert, missing several notes.
play worse — adverb modifying action verb
Sofie performed worse on the driving test the second time because she was too nervous.
The children behaved worse at the museum than at school, running between the exhibits.
Nia's ankle hurt worse when she tried to walk without her crutches.
- less well
common alternative in careful writing; avoids confusion with the adjective form
- more poorly
less common and slightly informal; used mainly in American English
- better
in a more effective or successful way
文法句型
verb + worse + than