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worst
[ wurst ]
adjective
the worst person.
- most faulty, unsatisfactory, or objectionable:
the worst paper submitted.
- most unfavorable or injurious.
- in the poorest condition:
the worst house on the block.
- most unpleasant, unattractive, or disagreeable:
the worst personality I've ever known.
- most lacking in skill; least skilled:
He’s the worst player on the team.
noun
- that which is worst.
adverb
- in the most evil, wicked, severe, or disadvantageous manner.
- with the most severity, intensity, etc.; in the greatest degree.
worst
/ ɜː /
adjective
- the superlative of bad 1
adverb
- in the most extreme or bad manner or degree
- least well, suitably, or acceptably
- in combination in or to the smallest degree or extent; least
worst-loved
noun
- the worstthe least good or most inferior person, thing, or part in a group, narrative, etc
- often preceded by at the most poor, unpleasant, or unskilled quality or condition
television is at its worst these days
- the greatest amount of damage or wickedness of which a person or group is capable
the invaders came and did their worst
- the weakest effort or poorest achievement that a person or group is capable of making
the applicant did his worst at the test because he did not want the job
- the worst
- in the least favourable interpretation or view
- under the least favourable conditions
- if the worst comes to the worstif all the more desirable alternatives become impossible or if the worst possible thing happens
- come off worst or get the worst of itto enjoy the least benefit from an issue or be defeated in it
verb
- tr to get the advantage over; defeat or beat
Word History and Origins
Word History and Origins
Origin of worst1
Idioms and Phrases
- at worst, if the worst happens; under the worst conditions: Also at the worst.
He will be expelled from school, at worst.
- get the worst of, to be defeated in; experience the most harm from:
New Jersey got the worst of the storm.
- if worst comes to worst, if the very worst happens:
If worst comes to worst, we still have some money in reserve.
- in the worst way, Informal. in an extreme degree; very much: Also the worst way.
She wanted a new robe for Christmas in the worst way.
More idioms and phrases containing worst
see at worst ; get (have) the worst of it ; if worst comes to worst ; in the worst way . Also see under worse .Example Sentences
Joe uses love as a weapon to absolve himself of his own worst impulses.
"I have been crying myself to sleep because, since October, this has been the worst period of my personal life in 30 years," she said.
Official figures from the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme revealed 2024 was the fifth worst year for UK butterflies since the scheme began in 1976.
"He was close to the people," Elena said fondly, adding that she understood why he "couldn't stay away" from helping those worst off.
And it's true that their dramatic reaction has had some success in tempering some of his worst impulses.
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Related Words
More About Worst
is a basic definition of worst?
Worst describes something as being bad in the highest degree possible. Worst is also used to mean a thing that is the baddest possible and to mean something done in the baddest manner possible. Worst has several other senses as an adjective, adverb, noun, and verb.
Worst is a superlative of the word bad. Simply put, worst describes something as being the baddest out of a group, category, list, and the like. This can mean something is most evil, is least skilled, is most unsatisfactory, is of the poorest quality, or is most unpleasant. someone thinks of as the worst something depends on what they’re judging that thing on. As with bad, worst is often a person’s opinion.
- Real-life examples: Everybody has a movie that they think is the worst (poorest quality or most unpleasant to watch) movie ever made. The worst student in a class could be the one who scores the lowest on tests or the one who misbehaves the most. A runner who records the worst time in a race is the one who ran the slowest. The worst person you know might be the one with the most unpleasant personality or who treats you the most poorly.
- Used in a sentence: Jessica got a 50 on the test, making her grade the worst in the class.
In this same sense, worst as a noun means something is the baddest out of a group. This sense is almost always phrased as “the worst.”
- Real-life examples: A person who is the least skilled at painting among a group of painters is the worst. A pie that is the least pleasant to eat out of a group of pies is the worst.
- Used in a sentence: I have played a lot of bad video games, but that one is the worst of them all.
As an adverb, worst is the superlative of the word badly and describes something as being done in as bad a manner as possible.
- Used in a sentence: We didn’t get any runners on base, making today’s baseball game the worst one this year.
Where does ɴǰcome from?
The first records of the term worst come from before 900. It ultimately comes from the Old English wierrest. It is related to similar words from other languages, such as the Old Frisian wersta and the Old Norse verstr.
Did you know ... ?
are some synonyms for worst?
are some words that share a root or word element with worst?
are some words that often get used in discussing worst?
How is ɴǰused in real life?
Worst is a very common word that describes something as being so bad that you can’t think of anything that is worse.
I am in Cape Town and relieved that I am no longer the worst dancer in town
— Ben Fogle (@Benfogle)
The 2 thoughts every author has while writing a book:
1. This is the best book ever written.
2. This is the worst book ever written.— Jon Acuff (@JonAcuff)
Mascara is truly the worst of all the makeup
— Danielle Sepulvalentine (@ellesep)
Try using worst!
Is worst used correctly in the following sentence?
I am the worst driver in my family and have gotten more driving tickets than anyone else.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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