How to Use worst-case in a Sentence

worst-case

adjective
  • But steps can be taken to avert this worst-case scenario.
    Agnès Callamard, Foreign Affairs, 15 Feb. 2024
  • Here’s a look at the best- and worst-case scenarios for SMU and a win-loss prediction for the season.
    Joseph Hoyt, Dallas News, 28 Aug. 2023
  • This worst-case scenario needs to be addressed but will not happen soon.
    Bhopi Dhall and Saurajit Kanungo, Forbes, 17 July 2023
  • This was also slightly less than its worst-case scenario that put it at a loss of as much as $1.15 per share.
    Rocio Fabbro, Quartz, 18 Apr. 2024
  • And, in the event of a worst-case scenario, Sueann insisted on getting life preservers.
    Rachel Ramirez, CNN, 12 Oct. 2024
  • But Canales’s worst-case scenarios also have come true, at least for the time being.
    Sam Lubell, New York Times, 1 Mar. 2024
  • The problem was his two-inning start put the Guardians on a collision course with their worst-case scenario.
    Paul Hoynes, cleveland, 29 Aug. 2023
  • Not everyone is buying into the idea of a worst-case scenario.
    Rebekah Evans, theweek, 5 Aug. 2024
  • But experts have warned that, in a worst-case scenario, the transition of power could be thrown into chaos.
    Phoebe Petrovic, ProPublica, 30 Oct. 2024
  • Here are ways for people to prepare and respond in worst-case scenarios.
    Hannah Sampson, Andrea Sachs and Sofia Andrade, Anchorage Daily News, 12 Aug. 2023
  • In a worst-case scenario, economists fear these policies could set the stage for a recession.
    Krystal Hur, CNN, 12 Apr. 2024
  • The happy ending was a welcome change of pace for deputies who often deal with worst-case scenarios.
    Jade Thomas, The Indianapolis Star, 6 May 2024
  • Sanders himself later downplayed that risk as a worst-case scenario.
    Brent Schrotenboer, USA TODAY, 28 June 2023
  • In a worst-case scenario, a hacker could take control of a CAV with passengers onboard.
    IEEE Spectrum, 4 Jan. 2024
  • While most cities use the base case or status quo to budget, many also use a parallel worst-case scenario.
    Michael D. Belsky, Chicago Tribune, 19 Nov. 2024
  • Some may question whether all the preparation was worth it, given that a worst-case scenario didn’t hit L.A., Crowley said.
    Rong-Gong Lin Ii, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2023
  • The fire spread over 50 kilometers that day, more than doubling worst-case scenarios.
    David Wallace-Wells, New York Times, 24 Oct. 2023
  • This was about salvaging what was left of USC’s season, and in that sense, the Trojans have at least protected themselves from a worst-case scenario.
    Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 25 Nov. 2024
  • But even in that worst-case scenario, Trump will still be a billionaire, albeit a diminished one.
    Byjason Ma, Fortune, 2 Nov. 2024
  • But even if that worst-case scenario isn’t likely to happen, the thought of losing any closeness can be terrible.
    Faith Hill, The Atlantic, 25 Oct. 2024
  • What, then, would be a worst-case scenario in your view—maybe a retrograde comet coming straight at us out of the sun’s glare, giving us only days to respond?
    Lee Billings, Scientific American, 3 Oct. 2024
  • In a worst-case scenario, the Macdonalds would shelter in the elevator.
    Carolyn Kormann, The New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2024
  • Cut Off: As hundreds of homes outside the boundaries of Scottsdale, Ariz., can no longer get water from the city, their owners are living a worst-case scenario of drought.
    Christopher Flavelle, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2023
  • Poles never has given that worst-case scenario much oxygen.
    Dan Wiederer, Chicago Tribune, 6 Sep. 2024
  • Between the threats of a school shooting and bullying, a parent’s mind is always swirling with worst-case scenarios.
    Melissa Willets, Parents, 6 Oct. 2023
  • But this estimate from the company is likely a worst-case scenario.
    Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 31 Aug. 2023
  • In a worst-case scenario, if the condition grew worse during the flight, ground controllers could isolate it by closing the manifold feeding the leak.
    Stephen Clark, Ars Technica, 1 June 2024
  • The issue is that in the time between noticing a spot and seeing my doctor, my mind conjures up extreme worst-case scenarios.
    Michelle Rostamian, Allure, 10 Sep. 2024
  • An absolute worst-case scenario in the pros: Pro Bowl potential as a core special-teamer.
    Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Mar. 2023
  • What are the chances of this worst-case scenario actually happening?
    Mark Travers, Forbes, 4 Oct. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'worst-case.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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