Meaning & use
worsened
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“worsened” is a form of “worsen”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbintransitive
Past tense of worsen: became worse over time.
Grammar: No object; the situation itself gets worse: the weather worsened.
Patterns
- something worsened
The weather worsened overnight.
Her cough worsened after the trip.
Relations between the countries worsened in the spring.
verbtransitive
Past tense of worsen: made something worse than it was.
Grammar: Takes an object: the delay worsened the problem.
Patterns
- worsen something
The heavy rain worsened the flooding.
His rude reply only worsened the argument.
Cuts to the budget worsened the shortage of teachers.
Common combinations
- conditions worsened
- Conditions worsened as night fell.
- worsened rapidly
- His health worsened rapidly.
- worsened the situation
- The late reply worsened the situation.
- symptoms worsened
- Her symptoms worsened after a week.
- relations worsened
- Relations worsened after the dispute.
Synonyms and how they differ
- deteriorated
- Deteriorated is more formal and suggests a gradual decline in quality or condition.
- declined
- Declined stresses a drop in level, like numbers or health, rather than the situation becoming bad.
- aggravated
- Aggravated takes an object and means made a problem or pain worse, so it is narrower.
- degenerated
- Degenerated suggests a slide into a much poorer state, stronger than worsened.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: worsened or worsted?
worsened vs worsted
Worsted is a type of smooth wool fabric and, as a verb, means defeated, with no link to getting worse.
Practice
By evening, the storm had ___ and the ferries stopped running.
Choose one answer.
Worsened means became worse, which explains why ferries stopped. Eased and cleared mean the storm improved, and bettered does not fit with a storm.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “worsened”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.