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• worst-case
  worst-case

  adjective

  of the worst possibility; being the worst result that could be expected under the circumstances.
• worst case
  worst case

worst-case

American  

[wurst-kays] / ˈwɜrstˌkeɪs /

adjective

1. of the worst possibility; being the worst result that could be expected under the circumstances.

   a worst-case scenario.

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worst case British  

noun

1. 1. a situation in which the most unfavourable conditions prevail

   2. ( as modifier )

      a worst-case projection of a massive accident

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Etymology

Origin of worst-case

First recorded in 1960–65

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

worst-case worst case

Even in the worst-case scenario, Omar was a girl at the time, so any fudging of numbers would have been done by her late father, who filed the paperwork.

From Salon ● Oct. 18, 2026

Surveillance footage and photos spurred hope their 10-year-old pup lost roughly 1,000 miles from home would be located, but the worst-case scenarios seemed just as plausible.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026

In the IMF's worst-case scenario -- of AI not delivering promised productivity gains -- global GDP forecasts for 2028 would fall by as much as 0.4 percent.

From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026

Administration can take months and, in the worst-case scenario, a company can be put into liquidation and shut down if it has no way of making any more cash.

From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026

But the engineering was best-case scenario, and their meager resources were worst-case.

From "Beauty Queens" by Libba Bray

"Gas turbines appear in the planning documents because they represent the worst case for emissions and noise, so assessing them tests the upper limit of any impact."

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

What are the best and worst case predicted scenarios?

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 12, 2026

Passengers, who have taken to social media, have described the situation as "stressful" and a "worst case scenario" at the weekend, with some taking coaches before continuing their train journey with another operator.

From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026

The combined value of annual payments plus what’s left over would range from $1.2 billion in the worst case to $5 billion in the best.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

Then, in the worst case of bad timing imaginable, a Scoreboard alert flashed on my display, just a few seconds after I began to play through the final screen.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline

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Related Words

• absolute
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