worst
noun
No English definition recorded for this entry.
L330628 on Wikidata ↗verb
No English definition recorded for this entry.
L333522 on Wikidata ↗adverb
No English definition recorded for this entry.
L333598 on Wikidata ↗adjective
No English definition recorded for this entry.
L342589 on Wikidata ↗Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /wɜːst/ / /wɔːst/ / /wɜɹst/
adj
Etymology: From Middle English worste, wurste, warste, werste, wirste, from Old English wierrest, from Proto-Germanic *wirsistaz, superlative form of *ubilaz (“bad, evil”); compare worse. Cognate with Old Saxon wirsista, wirrista (“worst”), Old High German wirst, wirsesto, wirsisto (“worst”), Danish værst (“worst”), Swedish värst (“worst”), Icelandic verstur (“worst”).
- superlative form of bad: most bad
“I think putting oil on a burn is the worst thing you can do.”
- superlative form of bad: most bad
“That's the worst news I've had all day.”
- superlative form of bad: most bad
“The worst storm we had last winter knocked down our power lines.”
- superlative form of bad: most bad
“None of these photographs of me are good, but this one is definitely the worst.”
adv
Etymology: From Middle English worste, wurste, warste, werste, wirste, from Old English wierrest, from Proto-Germanic *wirsistaz, superlative form of *ubilaz (“bad, evil”); compare worse. Cognate with Old Saxon wirsista, wirrista (“worst”), Old High German wirst, wirsesto, wirsisto (“worst”), Danish værst (“worst”), Swedish värst (“worst”), Icelandic verstur (“worst”).
- superlative form of badly: most badly; least well.
“My sore leg hurts worst when it's cold and rainy.”
“This is the worst-written essay I've ever seen.”
name
Etymology: Borrowed from German Worst, a variant of Wurst (“sausage”).
- A surname from German.
noun
Etymology: From Middle English worste, wurste, warste, werste, wirste, from Old English wierrest, from Proto-Germanic *wirsistaz, superlative form of *ubilaz (“bad, evil”); compare worse. Cognate with Old Saxon wirsista, wirrista (“worst”), Old High German wirst, wirsesto, wirsisto (“worst”), Danish værst (“worst”), Swedish värst (“worst”), Icelandic verstur (“worst”).
- Something or someone that is the worst.
“The humorist helps people to explore and confront their worsts”
verb
Etymology: From Middle English worste, wurste, warste, werste, wirste, from Old English wierrest, from Proto-Germanic *wirsistaz, superlative form of *ubilaz (“bad, evil”); compare worse. Cognate with Old Saxon wirsista, wirrista (“worst”), Old High German wirst, wirsesto, wirsisto (“worst”), Danish værst (“worst”), Swedish värst (“worst”), Icelandic verstur (“worst”).
- To make worse.
- To grow worse; to deteriorate.
“Anne haggard, Mary coarse, every face in the neighbourhood worsting.”
- To outdo or defeat, especially in battle.
“The […] Philistines were worsted by the captivated ark.”
“Her joy and pride in the honour paid to her darling son Adam was beginning to be worsted in the conflict with the jealousy and fretfulness which had revived when Adam came to tell her that Captain Donnithorne desired him to join the dancers in the hall.”