worsen
Americanverb (used with or without object)
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worsens,
present (3rd person singular)
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worsened,
past participle, past
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worsening
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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worsensimple
-
worsenssimple
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have worsenedperfect
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has worsenedperfect
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am worseningprogressive
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are worseningprogressive
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is worseningprogressive
-
have been worseningperfect progressive
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has been worseningperfect progressive
Past
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worsenedsimple
-
had worsenedperfect
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was worseningprogressive
-
were worseningprogressive
-
had been worseningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of worsen
First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English wersnen “to deteriorate”; see origin at worse, -en 1
Explanation
When things go from terrible to even more terrible, they worsen. If your sore throat worsens, you should call the doctor. If something gets worse, you can say that it worsens. So if the rain that started as a misty drizzle begins to grow torrential, threatening to ruin the picnic you've planned, the weather worsens. And if there's less money in your piggy bank every day, your financial situation worsens. The verb worsen shares a root with war, the Old Saxon werran, meaning "to entangle."
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.
See Examples For:
The drought is expected to persist or worsen for at least the next month, data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration showed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
Heading into August, the forecast trend is for warmer- and drier-than-average weather, meaning drought conditions could worsen before they improve.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
New findings now point to metabolic health, especially obesity, as a possible contributor to processes that worsen the disease.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 31, 2026
Such long-lasting events worsen the stress heat puts on people’s bodies, and so does humidity, which can also render some solutions like taking cover in the shade less effective, Turner said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026
By our third month in Ro Leap, things begin to worsen.
From "First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers" by Loung Ung
In the future, regular genomic tests could allow clinicians to identify high-risk patients years before their disease worsens.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 1, 2026
The numbers: The U.S. economy improved in July and businesses ramped up hiring, but the gains could prove short-lived if the conflict with Iran intensifies, oil prices climb even higher and inflation worsens.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
The deciding factor, he said, is largely out of the Fed’s hands: whether the Iran conflict eases and oil falls back, or worsens and leaves the Fed with a more stubborn inflation problem.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
Higher levels of cortisol also worsens sleep further, locking workers into a self-reinforcing cycle.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
Scrolling through her pictures only worsens my mood.
From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston
This decline was possibly made worse by federal immigration enforcement, which district officials believe worsened the annual districtwide decline last year from about 2% — which had been expected — to about 4%.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
But on Aug. 3, the center reported her packed cell volume fell to 13%, meaning her anemia had worsened.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
Insurers and consumer advocates disagree on why the odds of getting paid on auto liability and medical claims have worsened.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026
They must also consider employees with disabilities, medical conditions or other vulnerabilities that may be worsened by high temperatures.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
Senator Trueba s relationship with the rest of his family only worsened with time.
From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende
Today, Cuesta believes worsening living conditions have led many Cubans to see Castro as the "original architect of this national disaster."
From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026
Recent quarterly reports from funds overseen by the industry’s big players showed that loan health and investor returns are worsening, according to an analysis by The Wall Street Journal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
Some of these environmental influences may contribute not only to the initial development of RA, but also to worsening symptoms after the disease has been diagnosed.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 6, 2026
But families complain about the cost of living and the fiscal deficit is worsening.
From Barron's ● Aug. 2, 2026
The brutal era of sharecropping and Jim Crow was ending, but what followed was persistent unemployment and worsening poverty.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
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.
