DictionaryAI

worst

SayWURST/wɜɹst/UK/wɜːst/

Noun pluralworsts

8 meanings of worst

Practice

  1. 1
    least goodadjective
    Least good of all: lowest in quality or usefulness, or least favorable or desirable of all the possibilities.

    This was the worst possible time for the car to break down.

    Of all the routes home, that detour gave us the worst traffic.

    UsageUsually after the or a possessive: the worst time, my worst day. The worst possible + noun is common.

  2. 2
    adjective
    Most serious or severe of all, of something bad or harmful such as a storm, an illness, an injury or a crisis.

    The worst storms of the season hit the coast in late August.

    Doctors treated the patients with the worst injuries first.

    Similarseverest, gravest

    Oppositemildest

  3. 3
    adjective
    Used after the, with the noun left unsaid, to mean the one that is worse than all the others.

    Of the four hotels we stayed in, the one by the airport was by far the worst.

    Every team in the league had a bad season, but ours was the worst.

    UsageOften the worst of a group, or by far the worst.

    Oppositebest

  4. 4
    noun
    The most inferior, harmful, or unpleasant person or thing within a group.

    The golfer shot a 92, a career worst that he blamed on the wind.

    Among all the apartments we toured that week, the one above the noisy bar was easily the worst of the lot.

    UsageSet phrases: at worst, expect the worst, the worst is over, and a personal or career worst.

    Oppositebest

    Note

    Unlike the worst with an implied noun, this is a true noun, and the plural worsts proves it. The Encouragement Book speaks of people learning to confront "their worsts." A plural like that only works when worst names a thing in its own right. It cannot be read as an adjective with a missing noun.

    Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 1 fact

    • The Encouragement Book uses "their worsts" when describing people being helped to confront them. en.wiktionary.org
  5. 5
    most badlyadverb
    Superlative of badly.

    Among the regional offices, the eastern branch performed worst last quarter.

    Older engines run worst in extreme cold.

    UsageBefore a past participle it makes compounds: the worst-hit areas, the worst-affected towns.

    Note

    Here the superlative belongs to the adverb badly, and it serves both of that word's jobs. It covers manner, as in a branch that performed worst, and degree, as in a sore leg that hurts worst in the cold.

Less common meanings

  1. 6
    go downhillverbdatedintransitive
    To grow worse; to decline or deteriorate over time.
    Anne haggard, Mary coarse, every face in the neighbourhood worsting.
    1817, [Jane Austen], Persuasion; published in Northanger Abbey: And Persuasion.

    Similardeteriorate, worsen, decline

    Oppositeimprove

    Note

    Jane Austen's Persuasion describes "every face in the neighbourhood worsting." In that line the verb has no object, and things simply grow worse on their own. The use is dated rather than archaic, and everyday English now says worsen or get worse instead. Its transitive counterpart is the archaic "make worse" verb.

    Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 4 facts

  2. 7
    deepenverbarchaictransitive
    To make something worse; to aggravate or increase the severity of a condition.
    Note

    This is the archaic causative verb, in which something worsts a situation and makes it worse. It always takes a direct object, and its forms are regular: worsts, worsting, worsted. Modern prose does this job with worsen or aggravate, so the verb now reads as deliberately old-fashioned. Its partner without an object is the "grow worse" verb.

    Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

  3. 8
    defeatverbraretransitive
    To defeat or get the better of an opponent, especially in combat or contest.

    The rebels managed to worst the royal guard at the river crossing.

    Jo carried her love of liberty and hate of conventionalities to such an unlimited extent that she naturally found herself worsted in an argument.
    1868, Louisa M[ay] Alcott, Little Women

    UsageMostly in the passive: be worsted, find oneself worsted in an argument.

    Similardefeat, beat, overcome, rout

    Note

    Defeat is the idea here, and the verb lives mostly in the passive. Robert South's Philistines "were worsted," and Alcott's Jo in Little Women "found herself worsted in an argument." As George Eliot's Adam Bede shows, the contest need not be a battle: in that novel one feeling is worsted by another.

worst is a form of badly

badly, adverb: In a manner that is poor, faulty, or lacking in skill. Full entry

Forms
badlyworse comparativeworst superlative
Spelling
badly → worst: irregular

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of worst apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

From Middle English "worste," from Old English "wierrest," from Proto-Germanic "*wirsistaz," the superlative of "*ubilaz" ("bad, evil"); compare "worse." It is cognate with Danish "værst," Swedish "värst," and Icelandic "verstur," all meaning "worst."

Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

  • Worst derives through Middle English worste and Old English wierrest from Proto-Germanic *wirsistaz. en.wiktionary.org
  • *Wirsistaz is the superlative of *ubilaz, meaning bad or evil, and is related to worse. en.wiktionary.org
  • Danish værst, Swedish värst and Icelandic verstur are cognates meaning worst. en.wiktionary.org