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worst

adj
/wɜːst/UK/wɔːst//wɜɹst/US

Etymology

From Middle English worste, wurste, warste, werste, wirste, from Old English wierrest, from Proto-Germanic *wirsistaz, superlative form of *ubilaz (“bad, evil”); compare worse. Cognate with Old Saxon wirsista, wirrista (“worst”), Old High German wirst, wirsesto, wirsisto (“worst”), Danish værst (“worst”), Swedish värst (“worst”), Icelandic verstur (“worst”).

  1. inherited from *wirsistaz✻
  2. inherited from wierrest
  3. inherited from worste

Definitions

  1. superlative form of bad

    superlative form of bad: most bad

    • I think putting oil on a burn is the worst thing you can do.

  2. superlative form of badly

    superlative form of badly: most badly; least well.

    • My sore leg hurts worst when it's cold and rainy.
    • This is the worst-written essay I've ever seen.
    • She's the worst-informed of the lot.

  3. Something or someone that is the worst.

    • The humorist helps people to explore and confront their worsts
  4. ›+ 4 more definitions

    1. To make worse.

    2. To grow worse

      To grow worse; to deteriorate.

      • Anne haggard, Mary coarse, every face in the neighbourhood worsting.

    3. To outdo or defeat, especially in battle.

      • The […] Philistines were worsted by the captivated ark.
      • Jo carried her love of liberty and hate of conventionalities to such an unlimited extent that she naturally found herself worsted in an argument.

    4. A surname from German.

The neighborhood

Derived

at the worst, at worst, bad comes to worst, be one's own worst enemy, doctors make the worst patients, do one's worst, fear the worst, get the worst of it, in the worst way, least worst, the cobbler always wears the worst shoes, the cobbler's children are the worst shod, the shoemaker always wears the worst shoes, worse comes to worst, worst-case, worst-case scenario, worst case scenario, worst comes to worst, worst enemy, worst for wear, worst-kept secret, Worst Korea, worstness, worst of both worlds, worst off, worst timeline

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for worst. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA