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from bad to worse

Idioms  

  1. Unacceptable and getting more so, on a steady downward course. For example, Mary's grades have gone from bad to worse. [Mid-1500s] Also see if worst comes to worst.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Throughout the day, conditions in the strait went from bad to worse.

From Barron's • Apr. 8, 2026

Over the course of barely two hours on Sunday, Ferrari’s calamitous Formula One season went from bad to worse to absolute rock bottom.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 11, 2025

The incident is the latest example of how quickly a fireworks mishap can turn from bad to worse.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 2, 2025

For other people, needless to say, things go from bad to worse.

From Salon • May 17, 2025

This is rapidly going from bad to worse.

From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman

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.