Definition of the word worse

worse /wɜrs/USA pronunciation  
adj., comparative of  bad and ill.

1. bad or ill to a greater extent;
   inferior:Your score is worse on this test than on yesterday’s.
2. more unfavorable or injurious.
3. in poorer health:The patient is worse than yesterday.

n. [uncountable* usually: the + ~]

1. something that is worse:a turn for the worse.

adv.

1. in a worse manner:The class behaved worse than ever just when the principal came in.
2. to a worse degree:I feel much worse than yesterday.

worse 
(wûrs),USA pronunciation adj., [comparative of] bad [and] ill. 

1. bad or ill in a greater or higher degree;
   inferior in excellence, quality, or character.
2. more unfavorable or injurious.
3. in less good condition;
   in poorer health.

n.

1. that which is worse.

adv.

1. in a more evil, wicked, severe, or disadvantageous manner.
2. with more severity, intensity, etc.;
   in a greater degree.

worse /wɜːs/ adj

1. the comparative of bad¹
2. none the worse for ⇒ not harmed by (adverse events or circumstances)
3. the worse for wear ⇒ shabby or worn
4. a slang term for drunk
5. worse luck! ⇒ informal unhappily; unfortunately
6. worse off ⇒ (postpositive) in a worse, esp a worse financial, condition

n

1. something that is worse
2. for the worse ⇒ into a less desirable or inferior state or condition: a change for the worse

adv

1. in a more severe or unpleasant manner
2. in a less effective or successful manner

Etymology: Old English wiersa; related to Old Frisian werra, Old High German wirsiro, Old Norse verri, Gothic wairsiza

bad¹ /bæd/USA pronunciation  
adj., worse/wɜrs/USA pronunciation  worst /wɜrst/USA pronunciation ;
(Slang  ) bad•der, bad•dest for 16;
n., adv. 
adj.

1. not good in any manner or degree:bad traffic.
2. wicked or evil in character:the bad witch.
3. of low or inferior quality;
   deficient:bad roads.
4. disobedient or naughty:She was a very bad girl today.
5. inaccurate;
   incorrect: a bad guess.
6. causing injury or harm: Sugar is bad for the teeth.
7. suffering from sickness, pain, or injury:He was so bad yesterday that he stayed in bed.
8. diseased, decayed, or weakened: a bad heart.
9. spoiled or rotten:The milk has gone bad.
10. disagreeable;
    unpleasant: bad dreams.
11. severe;
    intense: a bad flood.
12. regretful, sorry, sad, or upset: He felt bad about leaving.
13. showing or having a lack of skill or ability:What a bad actor! [ be + ~ + at]:I was really bad at drawing.
14. unfortunate or unfavorable: bad news.
15. [before a noun] (of a debt) unlikely to be paid and so treated as a loss:bad loans.
16. Slang TermsSlang. outstandingly good;
    first-rate: He is one bad drummer.

n. [uncountable]

1. something that is bad:to take the bad with the good.

adv.

1. [Informal.]badly: She wanted it bad enough to steal it.

Idioms

1. Idioms badly or bad off, poor;
   destitute:They were badly off during the Depression.
2. Idioms in a bad way, in severe trouble or distress:She’s in a bad way now.
3. Idioms not (half, so, or too) bad, somewhat good;
   tolerable:not half bad for a first effort.
4. Idioms too bad:
   • (used to express regret or disappointment):You didn’t pass? Oh, that’s too bad.
   • (used to express impatience or lack of concern ):You don’t like it here? Too bad.

bad•ness, n. [uncountable]

You can use the adjective bad, meaning «unpleasant, unattractive, unfavorable, spoiled, etc.,» after such verbs as sound, smell, look, and taste: The music sounds bad.The locker room smells bad. You look pretty bad; are you sick? After the rainstorm the water tasted bad. After the verb feel, you can also use the adjective badly when describing physical or emotional states: She was feeling badly that day. That use is considered standard, although bad is more common in formal writing. bad as an adverb appears mainly in informal situations: He wanted it pretty bad. See also badly, good.

bad•ly /ˈbædli/USA pronunciation  
adv., worse/wɜrs/USA pronunciation  worst /wɜrst/USA pronunciation  
adj. 

adv.

1. in a bad way;
   incorrectly, inadequately, or unfavorably:speaks French badly; a marriage that turned out badly.
2. in a wicked, evil, or morally wrong way.
3. in a naughty or socially wrong way:behaved badly in front of the guests.
4. to a great extent or degree;
   very much:wants the job badly.
5. very unpleasantly;
   severely: was injured badly during the shootout.
6. with great distress or emotional display: took the news badly.

adj.

1. in ill health;
   sick: He felt badly and had a high fever.
2. sorry;
   regretful: I feel badly about your loss.

Idioms

1. Idioms badly off, [ be + ~]
   • in need of:We are quite badly off for money.
   • not having much money;
     poor.

ill /ɪl/USA pronunciation  
adj., worse/wɜrs/USA pronunciation  worst /wɜrst/USA pronunciation  
n., adv. 

adj.

1. Pathology sick;
   unwell;
   of poor health:[be + ~]She’s ill and won’t be in today.
2. hostile;
   unkind:[before a noun]ill feeling.
3. evil;
   wicked:[before a noun]ill deeds.
4. unfavorable:[before a noun]ill fortune.

n.

1. an unfavorable opinion or statement:[uncountable]I can speak no ill of her.
2. harm or injury:[uncountable]His remarks did much ill.
3. trouble;
   misfortune:[countable]Many ills befell him.

adv.

1. unsatisfactorily;
   poorly;
   badly:It ill befits a person to betray friends.
2. faultily;
   improperly:an ill-constructed house.
3. with difficulty or inconvenience:an expense we can ill afford.
4. The word ill can be used in combination with other adjectives or participles to mean «badly, improperly;
   inadequately:»ill- + considered → ill-considered (= not thought out well in advance;inappropriate);ill- + defined → ill-defined (= not well defined or clearly set out).

Idioms

1. Idioms ill at ease, uncomfortable;
   uneasy:When I first arrived at the party I felt very ill at ease because I didn’t know anyone.
2. speak ill of, [~ + object] to say unfriendly or unpleasant things about:unwise to speak ill of the dead.

ill is an adjective, illness is a noun: He was feeling ill. He had a strange illness.

I’ll /aɪl/USA pronunciation

1. Pronounscontraction of I will;
   I shall.

Ill., 
an abbreviation of:

1. Place NamesIllinois.

ill., 
an abbreviation of:

1. illustrated.
2. illustration.
3. illustrator.

bad¹ 
(bad),USA pronunciation adj., worse, worst;
 (Slang) bad•der, bad•dest for 36;
n.;
adv. 
adj.

1. not good in any manner or degree.
2. having a wicked or evil character;
   morally reprehensible:There is no such thing as a bad boy.
3. of poor or inferior quality;
   defective;
   deficient:a bad diamond; a bad spark plug.
4. inadequate or below standard;
   not satisfactory for use:bad heating; Living conditions in some areas are very bad.
5. inaccurate, incorrect, or faulty:a bad guess.
6. invalid, unsound, or false:a bad insurance claim; bad judgment.
7. causing or liable to cause sickness or ill health;
   injurious or harmful:Too much sugar is bad for your teeth.
8. suffering from sickness, ill health, pain, or injury;
   sick;
   ill:He felt bad from eating the green apples.
9. not healthy or in good physical condition;
   diseased, decayed, or physically weakened:A bad heart kept him out of the army.
10. tainted, spoiled, or rotten, esp. to the point of being inedible:The meat is bad because you left it out of the refrigerator too long.
11. having a disastrous or detrimental effect, result, or tendency;
    unfavorable:The drought is bad for the farmers. His sloppy appearance made a bad impression.
12. causing or characterized by discomfort, inconvenience, uneasiness, or annoyance;
    disagreeable;
    unpleasant:I had a bad flight to Chicago.
13. easily provoked to anger;
    irascible:a bad temper.
14. cross, irritable, or surly:If I don’t have my morning coffee, I’m in a bad mood all day.
15. more uncomfortable, persistent, painful, or dangerous than usual;
    severe:a bad attack of asthma.
16. causing or resulting in disaster or severe damage or destruction:a bad flood.
17. regretful, contrite, dejected, or upset:He felt bad about having to leave the children all alone.
18. disobedient, naughty, or misbehaving:If you’re bad at school, you’ll go to bed without supper.
19. disreputable or dishonorable:He’s getting a bad name from changing jobs so often.
20. displaying a lack of skill, talent, proficiency, or judgment:a bad painting; Bad drivers cause most of the accidents.
21. causing distress;
    unfortunate or unfavorable:I’m afraid I have bad news for you.
22. not suitable or appropriate;
    disadvantageous or dangerous:It was a bad day for fishing.
23. inclement;
    considered too stormy, hot, cold, etc.:We had a bad winter with a lot of snow.
24. disagreeable or offensive to the senses:a bad odor.
25. exhibiting a lack of artistic sensitivity:The room was decorated in bad taste.
26. not in keeping with a standard of behavior or conduct;
    coarse:bad manners.
27. Linguistics(of a word, speech, or writing)
    • vulgar, obscene, or blasphemous:bad language.
    • not properly observing rules or customs of grammar, usage, spelling, etc.;
      incorrect:He speaks bad English.

28. unattractive, esp. because of a lack of pleasing proportions:She has a bad figure.
29. (of the complexion) marred by defects;
    pockmarked or pimply;
    blemished:bad skin.
30. not profitable or worth the price paid:The land was a bad buy.
31. Communications, Businessdeemed uncollectible or irrecoverable and treated as a loss:a bad debt.
32. ill-spent;
    wasted:Don’t throw good money after bad money.
33. counterfeit;
    not genuine:There was a bad ten-dollar bill in with the change.
34. having the character of a villain;
    villainous:In the movies the good guys always beat the bad guys.
35. Sportfailing to land within the in-bounds limits of a court or section of a court;
    missing the mark;
    not well aimed.
36. Slang Termsoutstandingly excellent;
    first-rate:He’s a bad man on drums, and the fans love him.
37. Idiomsin a bad way, in severe trouble or distress.
38. Idioms not bad:
    • tolerably good;
      not without merit:The dinner wasn’t bad, but I’ve had better.
    • not difficult:Once you know geometry, trigonometry isn’t bad.Also, not so bad, not too bad. 

39. Idioms too bad, unfortunate or disappointing:It’s too bad that he didn’t go to college.

n.

1. that which is bad:You have to take the bad with the good.
2. a bad condition, character, or quality:His health seemed to go from bad to worse.
3. (used with a pl. v.) evil persons collectively (usually prec. by the):The bad are always stirring up trouble.
4. Idioms go to the bad, to deteriorate physically or morally;
   go to ruin:She wept at seeing her son go to the bad.
5. in bad, [Informal.]
   • in trouble or distress.
   • in disfavor:He’s in bad with his father-in-law.

6. Idioms to the bad, in arrears:He’s $100 to the bad on his debt.

adv. Informal.

1. badly:He wanted it bad enough to steal it.
2. Idioms bad off, in poor or distressed condition or circumstances;
   destitute:His family has been pretty bad off since he lost his job.Also, badly off. Cf. well-off.

bad′ness, n. 

• 2.See corresponding entry in Unabridged depraved, corrupt, base, sinful, criminal, atrocious.
  Bad, evil, ill, wicked are closest in meaning in reference to that which is lacking in moral qualities or is actually vicious and reprehensible.
  Bad is the broadest and simplest term:a bad man; bad habits.Evil applies to that which violates or leads to the violation of moral law:evil practices.Ill now appears mainly in certain fixed expressions, with a milder implication than that in evil:ill will; ill-natured.Wicked implies willful and determined doing of what is very wrong:a wicked plan.
• 10.See corresponding entry in Unabridged putrefied.
• 21.See corresponding entry in Unabridged adverse, unlucky, unhappy.

The adjective bad meaning «unpleasant, unattractive, unfavorable, spoiled, etc.,» is the usual form to follow such copulative verbs as sound, smell, look, and taste: After the rainstorm the water tasted bad. The coach says the locker room smells bad. After the copulative verb feel, the adjective badly in reference to physical or emotional states is also used and is standard, although bad is more common in formal writing:I feel bad from overeating.She felt badly about her friend’s misfortune.When the adverbial use is required, badly is standard with all verbs:She reacted badly to the criticism.Bad as an adverb appears mainly in informal contexts:I didn’t do too bad on the tests.He wants money so bad it hurts.See also badly, good. 

bad² 
(bad),USA pronunciation v. [Archaic.]

1. a pt. of bid. 

bad,¹ +n.

1. my bad, My fault! My mistake!

bad•ly 
(bad′lē),USA pronunciation adv., worse, worst, adj. 
adv.

1. in a defective, incorrect, or undesirable way:The car runs badly.
2. in an unsatisfactory, inadequate, or unskilled manner:a vague, badly written letter; He paints badly.
3. unfavorably:His neighbors spoke badly of him. The weather turned out badly for the cruise.
4. in a wicked, evil, or morally or legally wrong way.
5. in a disobedient, naughty, or ethically or socially wrong way:He treats his parents badly.
6. very much;
   to a great extent or degree:a house badly in need of repair; to want something badly.
7. severely;
   direly:to be injured badly.
8. with great distress, resentment, regret, or emotional display:She took the news of her mother’s death badly.
9. Idioms badly off. See bad (def. 47).

adj.

1. in ill health;
   sick:He felt badly.
2. sorry;
   regretful:I feel badly about your reaction to my remark.
3. dejected;
   downcast.

In the sense «very much,» badly is fully standard:He needs help badly.See also bad. 

ill 
(il),USA pronunciation adj., worse, worst, n., adv. 
adj.

1. Pathologyof unsound physical or mental health;
   unwell;
   sick:She felt ill, so her teacher sent her to the nurse.
2. objectionable;
   unsatisfactory;
   poor;
   faulty:ill manners.
3. hostile;
   unkindly:ill feeling.
4. evil;
   wicked;
   bad:of ill repute.
5. unfavorable;
   adverse:ill fortune.
6. of inferior worth or ability;
   unskillful;
   inexpert:an ill example of scholarship.
7. Idioms ill at ease, socially uncomfortable;
   nervous:They were ill at ease because they didn’t speak the language.

n.

1. an unfavorable opinion or statement:I can speak no ill of her.
2. harm or injury:His remarks did much ill.
3. trouble, distress, or misfortune:Many ills befell him.
4. evil:to know the difference between good and ill.
5. Pathologysickness or disease.

adv.

1. in an ill manner.
2. unsatisfactorily;
   poorly:It ill befits a man to betray old friends.
3. in a hostile or unfriendly manner.
4. unfavorably;
   unfortunately.
5. with displeasure or offense.
6. faultily;
   improperly.
7. with difficulty or inconvenience;
   scarcely:Buying a new car is an expense we can ill afford.

• 1.See corresponding entry in Unabridged unhealthy, ailing, diseased, afflicted.
  Ill, sick mean being in bad health, not being well.
  Ill is the more formal word. In the U.S. the two words are used practically interchangeably except that sick is always used when the word modifies the following noun:He looks sick(ill); a sick person. In England,
  sick is not interchangeable with ill, but usually has the connotation of nauseous:She got sick and threw up.sick, however, is used before nouns just as in the U.S.:a sick man.
• 4.See corresponding entry in Unabridged wrong, iniquitous. See bad ¹.
• 9.See corresponding entry in Unabridged hurt, pain, affliction, misery.
• 10.See corresponding entry in Unabridged calamity.
• 11.See corresponding entry in Unabridged depravity.
• 12.See corresponding entry in Unabridged illness, affliction.
• 14.See corresponding entry in Unabridged badly.

• 1.See corresponding entry in Unabridged well, healthy.
• 4.See corresponding entry in Unabridged good.

I’ll 
(īl),USA pronunciation

1. Pronounscontraction of I will.

See contraction. 

Ill.,

1. Place NamesIllinois.

ill.,

1. illustrated.
2. illustration.
3. illustrator.
4. most illustrious.
• Latin illustrissimus
• (def. 4)

bad /bæd/ vb

1. a variant of bade

badly /ˈbædlɪ/ adv (worse, worst)

1. poorly; defectively; inadequately
2. unfavourably; unsuccessfully; unfortunately: our scheme worked out badly
3. severely; gravely: he was badly hurt
4. incorrectly or inaccurately: to speak German badly
5. improperly; naughtily; wickedly: to behave badly
6. without humanity; cruelly: to treat someone badly
7. very much (esp in the phrases need badly, badly in need of, want badly)
8. regretfully: he felt badly about it
9. badly off ⇒ poor; impoverished

ill /ɪl/ adj (worse, worst)

1. (usually postpositive) not in good health; sick
2. characterized by or intending evil, harm, etc; hostile: ill deeds
3. causing or resulting in pain, harm, adversity, etc
4. ascribing or imputing evil to something referred to: ill repute
5. promising an unfavourable outcome; unpropitious: an ill omen
6. harsh; lacking kindness: ill will
7. not up to an acceptable standard; faulty: ill manners
8. ill at ease ⇒ unable to relax; uncomfortable

n

1. evil or harm
2. a mild disease
3. misfortune; trouble

adv

1. badly: the title ill befits him
2. with difficulty; hardly: he can ill afford the money
3. not rightly: she ill deserves such good fortune

Etymology: 11th Century (in the sense: evil): from Old Norse illr bad