Worst is not a word

Is worst a word?

the word »Worst » does not describe the least desirable outcome. The word you want to use when talking about the least desirable outcome is « worst ». Many people simply do not accept the word « worst ». « Baddest » is common slang, though, especially when used in conjunction with « biggest. »

Is baddest a correct word?

In correct English you should use superlative form « worst » Say this person is the worst of everyone you know. « the baddest » is slang and actually means « the best thing » or « the hardest. » In this sense, « the worst » is used as a compliment or something positive.

What is the full meaning of the worst?

(bæd) adjective form: worse or worse1. not good; inferior; insufficient; inferior.

What does the worst mean?

Baddest, in urban slang, means coolest, toughest, best…note that the slang usage of « bad » means tough or good, with obvious potential for confusion; use it with care. In this sense, Baddest, the superlative of bad, is less ambiguous because it’s not « correct » English, it’s more obviously slang.

Does the word bad guy exist?

(Non-standard or obsolete) bad form of comparison: worse; worse.

100 Kids Talking Bad | 100 Kids | HiHo Kids

34 related questions found

What is the worst word in English?

10 worst words in english

• Colonel. « Colonel » is just a clumsy phonetic disaster that spit in English. …
• countryside. There is no such thing as elegance in the countryside. …
• fester. …
• Puth. …
• Squelch. …
• February. …
• pustule. …
• pregnant.

Is Goodest a word?

Do not, « Best » is not a word. The word you want is « best ». ‘ To form the superlative form, you usually add -est to the adjective.

How do you use baddest in a sentence?

worst in a sentence

1. To us, they’re the worst boys on the block,
2. The Cherokee Bill is quite possibly the worst.
3. He is the worst cat in the land. …
4. He is the worst person in the West. « 
5. Only the worst should bother to answer. …
6. Noles is the craziest and worst of the three.

What does it mean when a guy says you’re the worst?

it mean »you are the coolest« .

Is there such a thing as bad badder baddest?

bad: of unacceptable standard, unfavorable, underlying, etc.The documentary clearly refers to the second meaning, so The worst thing is Correct usage here. The word « worst » doesn’t describe the least desirable outcome. When talking about the least desirable outcome, the word you want to use is « worst ».

What does slang mean?

Slang is Very informal language or specific words used by certain groups of people. . . While slang is sometimes criticized for being inappropriate or incorrect, it’s also creative, showing that English has evolved over time.

Is beautiful an appropriate word?

While beautiful is a word, and the suffix -est can be added to the end of various adjectives to make it superlative, « The most beautiful » is not a word.

What does the word best girl mean?

: a favorite girl sweetheart.

What are good adjectives?

great, satisfying, exceptional, positive, acceptable, satisfyingvaluable, superb, wonderful, bad, wonderful, favorable, excellent, respectable, honest, useful, talented, efficient, reliable, competent.

Is flick a bad word?

flick is not a swear word. I know some people think crap is a dirty word (though it isn’t), but « frick » isn’t a dirty word in any sense of what it means. No one gets mad when someone says « frick ».

What is the best anime for girls?

« Best Girl » is often used to refer to someone’s favorite character in a series.Like Toshinou Kyouko is the best girl Yuri Yuri. Usually best girl is used to refer to female characters, but occasionally people include male characters as well. Take Shinji Ikari from Evangelion or Cage from the Monogatari series, for example.

Who is the best girl in Danwan Lunba?

Asahina Aoi is the best girl.

What does waifu mean?

Waifu is a term a fictional characterusually in anime or related media, someone has good and sometimes romantic feelings for it.

What is the most beautiful girl?

According to science, Bella Hadid is the most beautiful woman in the world

• Bella Hadid (94.35%) Beyonce (92.44%) Amber Heard (91.85%)
• Ariana Grande (91.81%) Taylor Swift (91.64%) Kate Moss (91.05%)
• Scarlett Johansson (90.91%) Natalie Portman (90.51%) Katy Perry (90.08%)

What’s the big word for beauty?

Some common synonyms for beautiful are pretty, fair, handsome, cute, pretty. While all of these words mean « exciting sensual or aesthetic pleasure, » beauty applies to anything that excites the senses at their strongest and evokes emotion through the senses.

Why is best not a word?

What does best mean? Bestest means « best », « best » or « better than the best ». It is formed by adding the superlative suffix -est to the word best.This practice is grammatically incorrect because best is already the highest level of good.

Is LOL slang?

lol is a lol acronym. . . Lol is one of the most common slang terms used in electronic communications. Although it means lol, lol is mainly used to express a smile or slight amusement.

Is Yolo a slang term?

Moobs is listed as a slang term for protruding breasts in men, while YOLO is « you only live once”. New words and phrases are usually added to the dictionary once the editor has sufficient evidence of continued use of the history.

Is lmao slang?

Meaning of Lmao

Lmao representative Killing me. . . Lmao was born in the early 1990s, and the first people to use it were early adopters of online communication. Today, it is part of textual language and internet slang.

Why is the worse the worse?

Both « Worse » and « worst » can be used as adjectives, adverbs, and nouns. ‘Worse’ is a comparison describe something that doesn’t relate well to something Otherwise, while « worst » is the superlative, it describes the worst possible thing.

Asked by: Estel Davis DDS

Score: 4.3/5
(53 votes)

Although it may seem a logical step to move from ‘worse’ to ‘worser’, the Oxford English Dictionary does not list ‘worser’ as a modern English word. The Collins English Dictionary defines ‘worser’ as an archaic or nonstandard word for ‘worse’.

What is a worster?

The definition of worser is not as good as or worse than. An example of worser is a food that has a poorer taste than another. adjective.

Is worst a word in the dictionary?

Worst has several other senses as an adjective, adverb, noun, and verb. Worst is a superlative of the word bad. Simply put, worst describes something as being the baddest out of a group, category, list, and the like.

Is non standard a word?

not standard. not conforming in pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, etc., to the usage characteristic of and considered acceptable by most educated native speakers; lacking in social prestige or regionally or socially limited in use: a nonstandard dialect; nonstandard English.

What does Worsend mean?

: to make worse. intransitive verb. : to become worse the weather began to worsen.

27 related questions found

Most of the confusion that learners encounter in English is linked to homophones. These words sound alike when spoken but have different spellings and meanings. In this article, we will discuss worse vs. worst. These homophones can be confusing for both native as well as non-native writers. So let’s learn the difference between them.

Difference Between “Worse” and “Worst”

Worse and worst are not only homophones but also comparative and superlative adjectives. Worse is a comparative adjective while the worst is a superlative adjective. It goes like this: Bad-Worse-Worst. The word “worst” means that something cannot be worse than the “worst”.

Now let’s learn the exact meaning of Worse vs. Worst and use them in sentences. 

What Does Worse Mean?

The word worse is used to define something as of a lower standard, lower quality, or less good. As mentioned above, it is a comparative adjective that compares two things with each other. For example:

• This app version is worse than the old ones.
• The food was worse than the accommodations. 

According to dictionary.com, worse means bad or ill to a higher degree or inferior in quality, character, or excellence.

Examples of Worse in Sentences

• Her silence is worse than her anger.
• Nothing is worse than a familiar enemy.
• A false friend is worse than a bitter enemy.
• Overdone is worse than undone.
• A liar is worse than a thief.
• Bad excuses are worse than none.
• I think eggplant is worse than boiled cabbage.
• It could have been worse.
• Consult your doctor if you feel symptoms are getting worse.

What Does Worse Mean?

The word worst defines the lowest standard or quality of something or someone. As per dictionary.com, worst is used to indicate something ill or bad to the most extreme degree. It is a superlative adjective that compares three or more objects with one another. See the examples below:

Examples of Worst in Sentences

• Every woman is her own worst enemy.
• The worst part is Emma doesn’t want it.
• Some say that Richard III was one of England’s worst kings.
• She is my worst enemy, yet, I like her as the wisest woman in the world.
• The worst man often gives the best advice.
• We should hope for the best and prepare for the worst.
• It’s the worst drink I have ever had.
• To John, the worst had already happened.
• This confirmed his worst suspicions.
• Nowadays, the weather is at its worst.
• Trust me, defeat is not the worst of failure.
• The worst is yet to come
• The best fall into the hands of the worst men.

How to Remember the Difference between Worse vs. Worst

One easy trick to remember when to use worst vs. worse is, keep in mind that worst is the least good option. If you have a list of things to do, whichever is worst, you would want to do least. 

You can memorize that the both worst and least have “st” letters in their spellings. You can also think of it as the most extreme. Most and worst also have “st” in their spellings.

What is the difference between worst and worse?

There are few things worse than bad writing. But the worst is when writers confuse words like “worse” and “worst.” Either term is a comparative or superlative adjective for “bad” and “ill,” but that doesn’t mean we can use them interchangeably. 

Since “worse” and “worst” are comparative and superlative adjectives, they ultimately represent varying degrees of ‘bad’ or ‘ill.’ For instance, “worse” is ‘more bad,’ while “worst” is the ‘most bad.’ 

In addition to their adjective forms, we can also use the word “worse” as a noun or adverb, and “worst” as an adverb, noun, or verb. But as complicated as this looks, the general difference between the words stays the same: 

• Worse = ‘more bad’ than bad/ill 
• Worst = the ‘most bad’ 

It’s easy to see how English speakers confuse “worse” and “worst.” The words are homophones, which means they have similar spellings and pronunciations, but carry different meanings. The Word Counter covers similar word similarities within articles like “affective vs. effective” and “past vs. passed.” 

Worse and worst are also irregular adjectives, which means the words ‘bad’ and ‘ill’ don’t follow regular adjective patterns. For instance, we usually add “-er” or “-est” to the end of adjectives to indicate comparative and superlative forms (e.g., short, shorter, shortest). 

What does worse mean?

English speakers primarily use the term worse as a comparative adjective to describe a noun that is of lower quality, ‘more bad,’ or ‘lesser’ than another. In this sense, the concept of “bad” or “ill” applies to negative attributes, such as: 

• Inferior value or lower standard
• Less desirable 
• Degree of difficulty
• Lack of skill or efficiency 
• More severe or serious 
• More corrupt, evil, or reprehensible 
• A poorer state of health 

Example sentences include, 

“I feel worse today than I did yesterday.” 
“You’re worse than your brother.” 
“The food tastes worse when you order to-go.”
“I’m not sure things could get any worse.”

Worse as a noun

As a mass noun, the word worse describes a person, place, or thing that is ‘more serious,’ ‘more unpleasant,’ or ‘less favorable.’ For example,

“His health took a turn for the worse.” 
“There’s worse that could happen.”
“I’ve been through worse than this.” 

Worse as an adverb

The adverb form of worse modifies other adverbs, adjectives, or verbs to imply ‘in a worse manner,’ ‘extent,’ or ‘what is worse.’ For example, 

“The less you sleep, the worse you’ll feel.” 
“Folks are worse prepared than ever before.” 
“They could have played a lot worse than we did.”

Synonyms of worse

Common, deficient, inferior, lame, lesser, lousy, lower, mediocre, normal, ordinary, substandard, poor, unsatisfactory, wanting, worst. 

Antonyms of worse

Exceptional, extraordinary, incomparable, nonpareil, rare, uncommon, unequaled, unmatched, unrivaled, unusual, unsurpassable. 

Etymology of worse

“Worse” entered the English Language via Old English wiersa and wyrsa (adjectives) and wiers (adverb) Originally a form of Old High German (‘wirsiro’), the term transitioned again in Middle English as ‘werse’ and ‘worse.’ 

What does worst mean?

The word worst is a superlative adjective of “bad” and “ill” to describe something of the lowest standard or highest severity. 

Sentence examples include, 

“He was the worst Uber driver ever.” 
“This is the worst thing that’s ever happened to me.”
“The memo reiterated my worst fears.” 

Worst as an adverb

As an adverb, the word worst modifies other adverbs, adjectives, and verbs to describe a high degree of inferiority, corruption, or distaste. For example, 

“Students are the worst affected by COVID school closures.” 
“Pickling is the worst-smelling hobby .” 
“Oregon regions worst hit by snow include Pendleton and Ontario.”

Worst as a noun

The noun form of worst describes someone or something that is “the worst.” For example, 

“Isn’t she the worst?” 
“I fear the worst is yet to come.”
“Worst-case scenario, we can take a cab instead of the train.”

Worst as a verb

The verb worst defines the act of ‘getting the better of,’ defeating, or achieving victory over another. Additional verb forms include worsted, worsting, or worsts. For example, 

“The Portland Trail Blazers worsted the Philadelphia 76ers in 1977.” 
“The soldiers spent the week worsting their enemies.”

Synonyms of worst

Adj., adverb, noun: Atrocious, awful, bad, deficient, dissatisfactory, inferior, lesser, ordinary, routine, rotten, wanting, worse, vile. 

Verb: Annihilate, beat, conquer, defeat, master, overcome, prevail, subdue, surmount, sweep, triumph.

Antonyms of worst

Adj., adverb, noun: Exceptional, extraordinary, incomparable, rare, uncommon, unequaled, unmatched, unsurpassed, unusual. 

Verb: Collapse, fail, fall, flop, fold, give up, go under, lose. 

Etymology of worst

Modern English adapted “worst” from Middle English werste and worste and Old English wierresta and wystra. Both Old English forms represent the superlative forms of Old English wiersa for ‘worse.’ 

Worst vs. worse: understanding comparative and superlative adjectives

All adjectives contain comparative and superlative forms. Comparative adjectives describe the difference between the two nouns they modify (e.g., harder, better, faster, stronger). Superlative adjectives compare objects on a scale of upper to lower quality standards (e.g., hardest, best, fastest, strongest). But since “worst” and “worse” are irregular adjectives, their comparative and superlative forms don’t follow typical English grammar. 

Regular adjectives

Regular adjectives develop into comparative and superlative forms based on their number of syllables. Adjectives with one syllable follow a pattern of adding an -er for the comparative form and an -est for the superlative. 

Adjective: “cute”

Comparative: “cuter”

Superlative: “cutest.”

If an adjective contains two or more syllables, the original adjective doesn’t always change. Instead, the words “more” and “most” precede adjectives for the comparative and superlative forms, respectively. For example, 

Adjective: “exclusive”

Comparative: “more exclusive”

Superlative: “most exclusive.” 

English grammar poses an exception for certain two-syllable adjectives. If the adjective ends with -y, -ow, -er, -le-, we add an -er or -est for the comparative form and -est for the superlative forms. 

Adjective: “pretty”

Comparative: “prettier” 

Superlative: “prettiest” 

Adjective: “noble”

Comparative: “nobler” 

Superlative: “noblest” 

Adjective: “low”

Comparative: “lower” 

Superlative: “lowest” 

Irregular adjectives

Irregular comparative and superlative adjectives don’t follow a set pattern. Instead, they transform the original adjective into a unique comparative or superlative form. For example, 

Adjective: “good”

Comparative: “better”

Superlative: “best”

Adjective: “little”

Comparative: “less”

Superlative: “least”

When it comes to “worse” and “worst,” the irregular adjectives are “bad” and “ill.” Under normal conditions, we would add ‘-er’ or ‘-est’ for “badder” or “baddest.” But since “bad” and “ill” are irregular adjectives, we use “worse” for the comparative form and “worst” for the superlative form. 

Adjective: “bad/ill”

Comparative: “worse” or “iller” 

Superlative: “worst” or “illest”

How do you use worse and worst in a sentence?

To ensure correct usage of worse or worst, it’s important to remember two key factors: 

#1. Worse and worst = bad and ill

Worst and worse are extensions of the adjectives “bad” or “ill.” Therefore, anything that is “worse” or the “worst” carries a negative connotation. For example, 

“Are you feeling worse?” (illness)
“Brad is a worse writer than Kayla.” (unskilled)
“Skydiving is my worst fear.” (most severe) 
“Talking to family about politics is the worst.” (unpleasant) 

#2. Use worse or worst to compare nouns differently

Worse is a comparative adjective that compares one noun to another, while worst is a superlative adjective that compares one noun to a group of objects. For example, 

“Generic vitamins are worse than brand-name competitors.” (low quality) 
“Generic vitamins are the worst options available.” (lowest quality)

How to remember the difference between worse and worst?

There’s an old phrase in English that says, “if worst comes to worst” or “if worse comes to worst,” which means “if a bad situation becomes even worse,” or “worst-case scenario” (not worse case scenario).   

American English uses either phrase interchangeably, but we recommend memorizing “if worse comes to worst” to remember how “bad” can go to “worse,” and “worse” can go to “worst.” 

FAQ: Related to worse vs. worst

Is badder or baddest a word?

When the word “bad” (actually, as “baad”) conveys the “superabundance of good,” it no longer holds the same meaning of “worse” or “worst.” Therefore, many people resort to using “badder” or “baddest” as comparative and superlative forms. 

While dry “standard English” doesn’t yet recognize the use of “badder” and “baddest,” the terms are still common within Black American Vernacular (American English). English teachers may dock grammar points for using “badder” or “baddest,” but until the textbooks catch up, we say it’s perfectly correct to use these terms in this fashion. 

Is wurst an alternate spelling of worst?

A wurst is a type of sausage, but it sounds nearly the same as the word “worst” (aka, homophones). 

Test Yourself!

Test how well you understand the difference between worse and worst with the following multiple-choice questions. 

1. True or false: the adjective “worse” is the comparative form of “bad” or “ill.”
   a. True
   b. False
2. Which is not a superlative form of the adjective “ill”? 
   a. Baddest
   b. Worst
   c. Illest
   d. None of the above
3. If ___________ is ‘low quality,’ ___________ is the ‘lowest quality.’ 
   a. Iller, illest
   b. Worst, worse
   c. Badder, baddest
   d. Worse, worst
4. For the phrase “she’s the worst,” the word worst is a _____________.
   a. Adjective
   b. Adverb
   c. Noun
   d. All of the above
5. Which of the following phrases is incorrect? 
   a. If worse comes to worst
   b. Worse case scenario
   c. If worst comes to worst
   d. Worst case scenario

Answers

1. A
2. A
3. D
4. C
5. B

Sources

1. “If the worst comes to the worst.” Cambridge Dictionary, Cambridge University Press, 2020.
2. Kuehn, Paul R. “Homonyms, Homophones, and Homographs for ESL Students.” Owlcation, 18 May 2020. 
3. Kperogi, Farooq A. “Black American Vernacular English Expressions You Should Know.” USA Africa Dialogue Series, Google Groups, 26 Feb 2017. 
4. “The comparative and the superlative.” Resources for Learning English, EF Education First, 2020. 
5. “Worse.” Lexico, Oxford University Press, 2020.
6. “Worse.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., 2020.
7. “Worst.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., 2020.
8. “Worst.” The Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster Inc., 2020.

For better or (for) worse — на радость или на беду.

Так переводится эта идиома. Сложно поверить, что слова «better» и «worse» — это формы таких совсем не похожих на них слов как «good» и «bad«. Это — сравнительная степень прилагательных «good» и «bad«. Подробнее о прилагательном «good» мы рассказывали в этой статье (переходи по ссылке).

Что такое сравнительные прилагательные, как они образуются, мы рассказывали в другой статье (жми на ссылку слева).

Здесь напомним основные правила:

Общие правила образования степеней сравнения прилагательных

Bad  переводится с англ.яз. как «плохой, дурной, скверный, порочный».

Прилагательное «плохой» — bad  [ bæd ] входит в первые 300 самых часто используемых английских слов. Об этом мы рассказывали в нашей статье «1000 самых популярных английских слов. По порядку».  Что интересно, слово good — хороший входит в первые 200 самых популярных слов, что радует. Т.е. good используется в речи чаще. Значит, жизнь не так уж плоха! )))

Life isn’t so BAD! 

А то, что мы используем часто, нам хочется сделать максимально удобным для нас. И так древние англичане его изменяли и «прогибали» под себя, что сравнительные степени прилагательного bad стали совсем не похожи на свою основу.

Сравнительные степени и перевод прилагательного BAD

В ходе развития языка, английские слова «хуже» и «самый плохой» сильно трансформировались. Почему же это произошло.

Историческая справка. Этимология прилагательных bad — worse — the worst

Надо сказать, что сравнительные формы badder and baddest существуют и в наши дни. (Так они могли бы выглядеть, если бы прилагаетльное bad образовывало формы сравнения по правилам). Но это НЕ норма. Такие формы в наши дни используются только в диалектах и местных говорах. Но несколько веков назад — именно в такой форме они и использовались.

Вернемся на несколько веков назад. Истинное и однозначное происхождение слова «bad» не известно. В древне-английском (Old English) оно звучало как bæddel. В средне-английском bad все чаще стали использовать, заменяя такие слова как evil и ill (злой, порочный, дурной, пагубный), т.е., если упростить, то bad обозначало что-то «не хорошее». При этом в качестве сравнительных форм прилагательных evil и ill использовались формы worse и worst. Впоследствии bad вытеснил evil и ill, a вот сравнительные формы этих прилагательных так и продолжали использоваться.

Вот так современное слово bad имеет в качестве сравнительной и превосходной степеней сравнения — древние, хоть и изменённые, слова worse и worst, образованные от другого корня.

Эти формы необходимо заучить наизусть.

Примеры использования прилагательных bad, worse, the worst

Bad

Произносится по правилам английского языка: [ bæd ]

bad boy — плохой мальчик

bad girl — плохая девочка (также, дурная девчонка)

bad quality — плохое качество

bad habit — дурная привычка

It’s bad for you. — Для тебя это плохо / вредно.

Worse

Произносится [ wɜːrs ] . Послушать, как произносится слово.

Не путать со словом worth.

Примеры употребления:

Things could be worse. — Все могло быть и хуже.

I feel worse today. — Сегодня я чувствую себя хуже.

It can’t get any worse than this. — Хуже уже не будет.

You’ll only make bad worse. — Вы же сделаете ещё хуже. (Дословно: сделаешь плохое еще более плохим).

Why do you think you are better or worse than other people? — Почему ты думаешь, что ты лучше или хуже других?

The Worst

Произносится [ wɜːrst ]

the worst conditions — наихудшие условия

He is the worst player on the team — Он самый слабый игрок в команде.

That was the worst movie I’ve ever seen. — Это был самый плохой фильм, который я когда-либо видел.

at the worst possible time — в самое неподходящее время

You must be prepared for the worst. - Вы должны быть готовы к самому худшему.
the worst of it is that … - разг. хуже всего то, что …

his worst mistake - его самая большая /серьёзная/ ошибка

My worst fears came true. — Мои худшие опасения оправдались.

Идиомы и крылатые выражения со словами bad, worse, the worst

Too bad! — Очень жаль (дословно: Слишком плохо!)

It’s too bad! — Как жаль!

bad luck — неудача

bad try — неудачная попытка

come to a bad end — кончить скверно; кончить плохо; кончить дурно

bad language - сквернословие
to call smb. bad names — обзывать кого-л.

to take the bad with the good — стойко переносить превратности судьбы; ≅ в жизни всякое бывает

to exchange the bad for better — поправить свои дела

to take a turn for the worse — стать хуже, ухудшаться

Your bark is worse than your bite. — Твой лай страшнее твоего укуса.

the cure is worse than the disease — лечение хуже самой болезни

for better or (for) worse — к добру или к беде, хорошо это или плохо, на радость или на беду.

Our marriage has had its share of challenges, but we’ve vowed to stay together, for better or for worse. — Наш брак преодолел свою долю испытаний, но мы поклялись быть вместе, хорошо это или плохо.

His worst enemy — его худший враг

Cheer up! The worst is over. — Выше нос! Худшее уже позади.

Список английских прилагательных, которые образуют степени сравнения не по правилам

Помимо форм сравнения прилагательного «bad» рекомендуем вам выучить все английские прилагательные, которые образуют сравнительные формы не по правилам. С одной стороны, их не так много. С другой, это крайне часто используемые в речи слова. Они вам точно пригодятся!

Таблица с переводом и особенностями использования таких прилагательных

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плохо на английском языке, плохой перевод на английский, worse перевод на русский, bad перевод на русский, bad worse worst перевод на русский, best worst перевод, good worse перевод, bad better перевод, good bad перевод

сравнительная и превосходная степень в английском языке, степени сравнения прилагательных в английском исключения, английский сравнение прилагательных в английском языке, comparative adjectives, сравнение прилагательных в английском исключения