WORSEN

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does worsen mean? 

• WORSEN (verb)
  The verb WORSEN has 2 senses:

1. grow worse

2. make worse

  Familiarity information: WORSEN used as a verb is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• WORSEN (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they worsen    ... he / she / it worsens   
Past simple: worsened   
Past participle: worsened   
-ing form: worsening   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Grow worse

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

decline; worsen

Context example:

Conditions in the slum worsened

Hypernyms (to "worsen" is one way to...):

change state; turn (undergo a transformation or a change of position or action)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "worsen"):

inflame (become inflamed; get sore)

come down; sicken (get sick)

degenerate; deteriorate; devolve; drop (grow worse)

deprive; impoverish (take away)

fail (get worse)

tumble (suffer a sudden downfall, overthrow, or defeat)

drop away; drop off; fall away; slip; suffer (get worse)

lose; suffer (be set at a disadvantage)

regress; retrograde; retrogress (get worse or fall back to a previous condition)

turn down (take a downward direction)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s

Antonym:

better (get better)

Derivation:

worsening (process of changing to an inferior state)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Make worse

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

aggravate; exacerbate; exasperate; worsen

Context example:

This drug aggravates the pain

Hypernyms (to "worsen" is one way to...):

alter; change; modify (cause to change; make different; cause a transformation)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "worsen"):

irritate (excite to an abnormal condition, or chafe or inflame)

inflame (cause inflammation in)

cheapen; degrade (lower the grade of something; reduce its worth)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something

Antonym:

better (to make better)

Derivation:

worsening (changing something with the result that it becomes worse)

 Context examples 

Symptoms can worsen or improve or stop altogether.

(Ankylosing Spondylitis, NIH: National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Disease)

Symptoms or signs that begin and worsen quickly; not chronic.

(Acute, NCI Dictionary)

These bacteria can cause skin infections and trigger immune responses that increase inflammation and worsen symptoms.

(Bacteria therapy for eczema shows promise in NIH study, National Institutes of Health)

Examples of outcomes include decreased pain, reduced tumor size, or worsening of disease.

(Disease Outcome, NCI Thesaurus/CDISC)

The worsening of a disease over time.

(Disease progression, NCI Thesaurus)

Symptoms usually worsen over a period of weeks and then stabilize.

(Guillain-Barre Syndrome, NIH: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)

Functional Assessment of Multiple Sclerosis (FAMS) Additional Concerns: Heat worsens my symptoms.

(FAMS - Heat Worsens My Symptoms, NCI Thesaurus)

Impaired renal function worsens prognosis regardless of stage.

(DS Stage I Plasma Cell Myeloma, NCI Thesaurus/PDQ)

The new findings also revealed the increase in free water was linked to worsening symptoms.

(Waterlogged brain region helps scientists gauge damage caused by Parkinson’s disease, National Institutes of Health)

They become pathogenic and worsen insulin resistance.

(When Liver Immune Cells Turn Bad, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)