worst

worst

English

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /wɜːst/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /wɝst/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)st

Adjective

worst

1. superlative form of bad: most bad
   1. Most inferior; doing the least good.

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

   2. Most unfavorable.

      That's the worst news I've had all day.

   3. Most harmful or severe.

      The worst storm we had last winter knocked down our power lines.

   4. Used with the definite article and an implied noun: something that is worst.

      None of these photographs of me are good, but this one is definitely the worst.

2. superlative form of ill: most ill

   I'm feeling really ill — the worst I've felt all week.

Usage notes

The comparative badder (for worse) and superlative baddest (for worst) derived from the positive bad are nonstandard. Worst may be further inflected to form the two additional superlatives worstest (nonstandard) and worstestest (informal, humorous). The comparative worser is also nonstandard.

Synonyms

• (most bad): baddest (nonstandard)
• (most ill): illest (nonstandard)

Antonyms

• best

Derived terms

• be one's own worst enemy
• in the worst way
• fear the worst
• least worst
• worst case scenario
• worst comes to worst
• worstness

Related terms

• worse

Translations

most inferior

Arabic: (+ الـ‎ + al-) أَسْوَأ‎ (ʾaswaʾ) Armenian: please add this translation if you can Belarusian: найго́ршы (najhóršy) Chinese: Mandarin: 最壞／最坏 (zuìhuài), 最差 (zuìchà) Czech: nejhorší (cs) Danish: værst Dutch: slechtst (nl), ergst (nl) Esperanto: la plej malbona Finnish: pahin French: (+ le / la) pire (fr), (+ le plus / la plus) mauvais(e) (fr) Friulian: il piês Georgian: ყველაზე ცუდი (q̇velaze cudi), ყველაზე უარესი (q̇velaze uaresi), უცუდესი (ucudesi) German: (+ der, die, das) schlechteste (de), schlechtester (de); (+ der, die, das) schlimmste (de), schlimmster (de) Greek: Ancient: κάκιστος (kákistos), χείριστος (kheíristos) Hausa: munin (ha), mafi munin Hindi: सबसे बुरा (sabse burā), बदतरीन (badatrīn) Ido: maxim mala Interlingua: pejor Italian: il peggiore, peggiore (it), pessimo (it) Japanese: 最低の (ja) (saitei no), 最悪の (ja) (saiaku no), びりの (ja) (biri no), ワースト (wāsuto) (ranking) Khmer: អាក្រក់​ជាង​គេ (aakrɑk cieŋ kee), អាក្រក់​បំផុត (aakrɑk bɑmpʰot) Korean: 가장 나쁜 (gajang nappeun) Latin: pessimus, nēquissimus, dēterrimus Macedonian: најлош (najloš) Malay: terburuk Mongolian: please add this translation if you can Old English: wierrest Polish: najgorszy Portuguese: pior (pt) Russian: ху́дший (ru) (xúdšij), наиху́дший (ru) (naixúdšij), ху́же всего́ (xúže vsevó) Sanskrit: अधम (sa) (adhama) Slovak: najhorší Spanish: lo peor m, la peor f Swedish: värst (sv) Thai: เลวที่สุด,แย่ที่สุด Turkish: en kötü Ukrainian: найгі́рший (najhíršyj) Vietnamese: tệ nhất

Noun

worst (plural worsts)

1. Something or someone that is the worst.
   • 1991, Don C. Dinkmeyer, Jr. The Encouragement Book: Becoming a Positive Person (page 201)

     The humorist helps people to explore and confront their worsts

Translations

something that is worst

French: pire (fr) Italian: peggiore (it) m Khmer: ដែលអាក្រក់ជាងគេ (dael aakrɑk cieng kee) Polish: najgorsze n Portuguese: pior (pt) m Russian: наиху́дшее n (naixúdšeje), ху́дшее (ru) n (xúdšeje)

Adverb

worst

1. superlative form of badly: most badly

   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.

2. superlative form of ill: most ill

Translations

in the worst way

Belarusian: найго́рш (najhórš) Czech: nejhůře Polish: najgorzej Portuguese: pior (pt) Russian: ху́же всего́ (xúže vsevó) Slovak: najhoršie Spanish: peor (es) Ukrainian: найгі́рше (najhírše)

Verb

worst (third-person singular simple present worsts, present participle worsting, simple past and past participle worsted)

1. (archaic, transitive) To make worse.
2. (dated, intransitive) To grow worse; to deteriorate.
   • 1817 December​, [Jane Austen], Persuasion; published in Northanger Abbey: And Persuasion. […], volume (please specify |volume=III or IV), London: John Murray, […], 1818, OCLC 318384910:

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

3. (rare) To outdo or defeat, especially in battle.
   • 1692–1717, Robert South, Twelve Sermons Preached upon Several Occasions, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), 6th edition, London: […] J[ames] Bettenham, for Jonah Bowyer, […], published 1727, OCLC 21766567:

     The […] Philistines were worsted by the captivated ark.

   • 1869, Louisa May Alcott, Little Women.

     Jo carried her love of liberty and hate of conventionalities to such an unlimited extent that she naturally found herself worsted in an argument.

   • 1894, Constance Garnett (translator); Leo Tolstoy (author), The Kingdom of God is Within You, Kshetra Books, →ISBN, page 73:

     The higher classes see the unions, the strikes, the May Day Celebrations, and feel the calamity that is threatening them, and their terror passes into an instinct of self-defense and hatred. They know that if for one instant they are worsted in the struggle with their oppressed slaves, they will perish, because the slaves are exasperated and their exasperation is growing more intense with every day of oppression.

Quotations

• For quotations using this term, see Citations:worst.

Anagrams

• Trows, rowts, strow, trows, worts

---

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch worst, from Old Dutch *wurst, *worst, from Proto-West Germanic *wursti.

Cognate with Limburgish wósj, Zealandic woste, Old Saxon worst, Middle Low German worst, Plautdietsch Worscht, Old Frisian *wurst, West Frisian woarst, Old High German wurst, Middle High German wurst, German Wurst, Swabian Wurscht, Sathmar Swabian Wurscht, Bavarian Wuascht, Central Franconian Woosch, Luxembourgish Wuuscht, Hunsrik Worst, East Central German Wurscht, Vilamovian wiyśt, East Franconian Woschd, Rhine Franconian Wurscht, Pennsylvania German Warscht, Palatine German Wurst, Yiddish וווּרשט‎‎ (vursht‎).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʋɔrst/

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: worst
• Rhymes: -ɔrst

Noun

worst f (plural worsten, diminutive worstje n)

1. sausage

Derived terms

-compounds where worst is the first element:

• worstachtig
• worstdeeg
• worstenbrood
• worstenmaker
• worstennat
• worstfabriek
• worstketel
• worstkolf
• worstmengsel
• worstmolen
• worstrecept
• worstsoort
• worstvinger
• worstvlees
• worstvlies
• worstvormig

 

-compounds where worst is the final element:

• barbecueworst
• bloedworst
• bockworst
• boerenworst
• boterhamworst
• braadworst
• cervelaatworst
• curryworst
• droge worst
• droogworst
• eenheidsworst
• erwtenworst
• grilworst
• hespenworst
• hondenworst
• jachtworst
• ketelworst
• kippenworst
• knakworst
• knoflookworst
• kookworst
• kosterworst
• lamsworst
• leverworst
• lookworst
• meelworst
• metworst
• ossenworst
• paardenworst
• palingworst
• pekelworst
• plokworst
• reuzelworst
• rookworst
• runderworst
• smeerworst
• snijworst
• spekworst
• theeworst
• tochtworst
• tongenworst
• truffelworst
• varkensworst
• visworst
• vleesworst
• zultworst

 

Descendants

• Afrikaans: wors
  • → English: wors
• Jersey Dutch: wârst
• → Papiamentu: wòrs
• → Russian: ворса (vorsa)
• → Sranan Tongo: worst

---

Middle Dutch

Etymology

From Old Dutch *wurst, *worst, from Proto-West Germanic *wursti.

Noun

worst f

1. sausage

Inflection

This noun needs an inflection-table template.

Descendants

• Dutch: worst
  • Afrikaans: wors
    • → English: wors
  • Jersey Dutch: wârst
  • → Papiamentu: wòrs
  • → Russian: ворса (vorsa)
  • → Sranan Tongo: worst
• Limburgish: wósj

Further reading

• “worst”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
• Verwijs, E.; Verdam, J. (1885–1929), “worst”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN