worsen

intransitive-verb
UK: /ˈwɜːsn/
US: /ˈwɜːrsn/

  1. To become worse; to make something worse.

    1. The weather will worsen tomorrow, so stay home.
    2. If you don't take your medicine, your condition will worsen quickly.

  2. To deteriorate or decline in quality or condition.

    1. The traffic jam will worsen during rush hour.
    2. The political crisis started to worsen after the recent election results.

Synonyms

deteriorate decline aggravate exacerbate intensify degenerate
worsen transitive-verb

  1. To make something bad become worse; to exacerbate a situation.

    1. Don't worsen the problem by getting involved now.
    2. Pouring water on an electrical fire can worsen the situation rapidly.

  2. To aggravate or intensify a negative state or condition.

    1. Losing the key only serves to worsen our travel delays.
    2. Ignoring the company's structural issues could worsen its financial outlook.

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "worsen" in English means: To become worse; to make something worse., To deteriorate or decline in quality or condition..

The phonetic transcription of "worsen" is /ˈwɜːsn/ in British English and /ˈwɜːrsn/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "worsen": deteriorate, decline, aggravate, exacerbate, intensify, degenerate.

Example usage of "worsen": "The weather will worsen tomorrow, so stay home.". More examples on the page.