worsen

Verb

Verb Forms: worsened, worsening, worsens

• To make or become worse; to deteriorate.
• grow worse
  • "Conditions in the slum worsened"
• make worse
• To make worse; to impair.
• To become worse; to get worse.
• To get the better of; to worst.

Examples

• As for further retaliation: adding such fuel to the fire, as it were, will only worsen the already unpleasant state of affairs.
• Global warming has worsened the weather.
• His chances of winning began to worsen with every triple-word score his opponent made.
• The weather has worsened.

Synonyms

aggravate, decline, exacerbate, exasperate, ;, atrophy, better#Verb, break down, crack, defeat#Verb, degenerate, deteriorate, devolve, fade, fall off, go bad, go downhill, go left, go off, go pear-shaped, go sideways, go south, go to hell, go to pot, go to seed, go to the dogs, go wrong, lapse, molder, overpower, pejorate, retrograde, shrivel, spend, suffer, sweal, tabefy, wane, wanse, wither, wither away, worsen

Antonyms

better, ameliorate, improve, meliorate, mitigate

Related Words

aggravate, bad, deteriorated