- worsen
-
verb
(worsened; worsening)
Date: 13th century
transitive verb
to make worse
intransitive verb
to become worse <the weather began to worsen>
New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.
worsen
Look at other dictionaries:
Worsen — Wors en, v. i. To grow or become worse. De Quincey. [1913 Webster] Indifferent health, which seemed rather to worsen than improve. Carlyle. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Worsen — Wors en, v. t. 1. To make worse; to deteriorate; to impair. [1913 Webster] It is apparent that, in the particular point of which we have been conversing, their condition is greatly worsened. Southey. [1913 Webster] 2. To get the better of; to… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
worsen — index aggravate (exacerbate), decay, degenerate, depreciate, deteriorate, exacerbate, harm, impair … Law dictionary
worsen — (v.) to make worse, O.E. wyrsian, from the root of WORSE (Cf. worse). The reflexive sense of to get worse, become worse off first attested 1795 and elevated into literary use c.1800 30, where formerly worse (v.) had served. Related: Worsened;… … Etymology dictionary
worsen — see en verbs from adjectives … Modern English usage
worsen — [v] diminish, decay aggravate, corrode, damage, decline, degenerate, depress, descend, deteriorate, disintegrate, exacerbate, fall off, get worse, go downhill*, impair, lower, retrograde, retrogress, rot, sink; concepts 240,698 Ant. improve,… … New thesaurus
worsen — ► VERB ▪ make or become worse … English terms dictionary
worsen — [wʉr′sən] vt., vi. [orig. dial. < WORSE + EN] to make or become worse … English World dictionary
worsen — verb ADVERB ▪ considerably, dramatically, markedly, significantly ▪ The problem has worsened considerably in recent months. ▪ gradually, progressively, steadily … Collocations dictionary
worsen — UK [ˈwɜː(r)s(ə)n] / US [ˈwɜrs(ə)n] verb [intransitive/transitive] Word forms worsen : present tense I/you/we/they worsen he/she/it worsens present participle worsening past tense worsened past participle worsened to become worse, or to make… … English dictionary
worsen — wors|en [ˈwə:sən US ˈwə:r ] v [I and T] to become worse or make something worse ≠ ↑improve ▪ A lot of teachers expect the situation to worsen over the next few years. ▪ Interfering now could worsen the problem. >worsening adj ▪ We are now… … Dictionary of contemporary English
