worsen

verb

wors·​en ˈwər-sᵊn 

worsened; worsening

ˈwərs-niŋ,

ˈwər-sᵊn-iŋ 

transitive verb

: to make worse

intransitive verb

: to become worse

the weather began to worsen

Synonyms

• atrophy
• crumble
• decay
• decline
• degenerate
• descend
• deteriorate
• devolve
• ebb
• regress
• retrograde
• rot
• sink

Examples of worsen in a Sentence

Spending more money is only going to worsen the problem.

the condition of the house worsened with every year of neglect

Recent Examples on the Web

As the disease worsens, these sores often develop umbilication, a small dent in the skin that resembles a belly button. —Francisco J. Rivera Rosario, Health, 7 June 2025

Empty office spaces, slumping rents, sky-high office vacancies, and a meltdown in real estate values have coalesced into a worsening commercial property market in the Bay Area. —George Avalos, Mercury News, 6 June 2025

One third of employees took layoffs to mean that things would worsen for their company in the future. —Nicole Tidei, Forbes.com, 5 June 2025

Winnebago’s management said its selling season was hampered by worsening consumer sentiment and an increasingly cautious dealer network. —Fred Imbert, CNBC, 5 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Rhymes for worsen

• person
• businessperson
• chairperson
• layperson
• salesperson

Kids Definition

worsen

verb

wors·​en ˈwərs-ᵊn 

worsened; worsening ˈwərs-niŋ 

-ᵊn-iŋ

: to make or become worse

the weather worsened