worse for wear

Idioms  

1. Also, the worse for the wear. In poor physical condition owing to long use; also, drunk. For example, This television set is really worse for the wear; we'll have to replace it, or He'd better not drive home; he's definitely the worse for the wear. [c. a.d. 1000] For an antonym, see none the worse for.

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Example Sentences

Today, in 1889, he looks a bit worse for wear; his skin seems to have the texture of wicker.

From The Wall Street Journal

“Goodness, the journey has left you a bit worse for wear.”

From Literature

Berrycloth’s beloved motorcar sits out front, a bit worse for wear.

From Literature

Lord Fredrick looked a bit worse for wear himself, with scratches on his hands and face and a lingering tendency to clear his throat in a particularly barky way, but at least the itching and howling seemed to have subsided.

From Literature

If Dyer has grown sentimental about the England of his upbringing, his nostalgia is a subtle critique of how optimism in big government has grown worse for wear — “Homework” bursts with working-class pride, a fond and mournful belief in the possibility of the British welfare state.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• crummy
• decaying
• decrepit
• desolate
• dilapidated
• dingy
• pitiful
• ramshackle
• ratty
• rickety
• run down
• scruffy
• seedy
• shoddy
• squalid
• tacky
• tattered
• threadbare
• worn