| 释义 |
▪ I. worse, a. and n.|wɜːs|
Forms: α. 1 wiersa, wirsa, 1–2 wyrsa (1 wuyrsa), 2 wursa, 2–6 wurse, 4 wirse, 3 wrse, 3–6 wurs; 3– worse, 3–6 worsse, 4 worss, 3–7 wors, 6 woorse, wourse, 7 wours, 9 vulgar wuss. β. 2 wærsa, wersa, 2–6 werse (3 Orm. werrse), 3 weorse, 4 wersse, 4–5 vers, 4–6 wers, 5 werce; 5–6 wars, warsse, 5–6, 8–9 north. warse.
[OE. wyrsa, wiersa = OFris. wirra, werra (for *wirsa, *wersa by assimilation), OS. wirsa, OHG. wirsiro, -ero, -oro (MHG. wirser), ON. verri (for *wersi; Sw. värre, Da. værre; see war a.), Goth. wairsiza:—OTeut. *wersizon-, f. root *wers-, found in OS., OHG. werran, G. (ver-) wirren to entangle, confound (see war n.1) + -izon- compar. suffix.
For the graphic change of wu- to wo- see the notes to worm n. and worry v. The β-forms appear first in north-east midland texts and are app. due to Scandinavian.]
A. adj. Used as the comparative of bad, evil, ill, or as the opposite of better.
1. a. More reprehensible morally; more wicked, depraved or vicious; more cruel, unkind, or ill-conditioned.
c888ælfred Boeth. xiv. §3 Þi hi send wyrsan þonne nytenu þy hi nellað witan hwæt hi sint. c1000Ags. Gosp. Matt. xii. 45 Ðonne gæð he, and hym to ᵹenimð seofun oþre gastas wyrsan þonne he. a1122O.E. Chron. an. 979 (Laud MS.) Ne wearð Angelcynne nan wærsa dæd ᵹedon. 1154Ibid. an. 1140 Oc æfre þe mare he iaf heom, þe wærse hi wæron him. a1225Ancr. R. 82 Idel speche is vuel; ful speche is wurse. c1300Havelok 1100 He werse was þan Sathanas. 1340Ayenb. 64 Ine þise zenne [of swearing] byeþ þe cristene worse þanne þe sarasyn. c1380Wyclif Sel. Wks. III. 348 Þei stelen pore mennis children, Þat is werse þan stele an oxe. c1386Chaucer Nun's Pr. T. 466 Now certes I were worse than a feend If I to yow wolde harm or vileynye. 1396― Lenvoy a Bukton 18 Bet ys to wedde than brenne in worse wise. c1460Towneley Myst. xxx. 195 It is saide in old sawes..Wars pepill wars lawes. 1593Shakes. Rich. II, iii. ii. 132 Three Iudasses, each one thrice worse then Iudas. 1671H. M. tr. Erasm. Colloq. 226 And didst thou return holy from thence?..Nay somewhat worse than I went. 1718Prior An Epitaph 26 So ev'ry Servant took his Course; And bad at First, They all grew worse. 1818Wilberforce in Life (1838) IV. 395 Keswick worse now as to morals than thirty years ago. 1847Tennyson Princess iv. 232 The song Might have been worse and sinn'd in grosser lips Beyond all pardon. 1848Thackeray Van. Fair xi, ‘He be a bad'n, sure enough,’ Mr. Horrocks remarked; ‘and his man Flethers is wuss.’ 1863W. C. Baldwin Afr. Hunting iii. 69 Considering it no worse to employ myself usefully than to pass the time loitering about.
b. qualifying an agent-noun.
1653in Verney Mem. (1907) I. 547 Wors livers then my self have seen their errors. 1871Geo. Eliot Middlem. xxxv. II. 199, I only hope and trust he wasn't a worse liver than we think of.
c. worse and worse = worse in an increasing degree, progressively worse.
1535Coverdale Ecclus. iii. [26] He that is frowarde of hert wyll euer be the worse and worse. 1567–9Jewel Def. Apol. (1611) 151 That the Wicked and Wilfull..should..wax woorse and woorse. 1596Spenser F.Q. v. Proem. i, The world..being once amisse growes daily wourse and wourse.
2. a. More harmful, painful, grievous, regrettable, unpleasant, offensive, unfavourable, unlucky, etc.
Beowulf 2969 He..forᵹeald hraðe wyrsan wrixle wælhlem þone. c888ælfred Boeth. xxix. §2 Hwylc is wirsa wol..þonne he hæbbe on his ᵹeferrædenne..feond & freondes anlicnesse? c897― Gregory's Past C. xvii. 122 Oft sio wund bið ðæs þe wierse & ðy mare, ᵹif hio bið unwærlice ᵹewriðen. 971Blickl. Hom. 243 Þy læs wen sie þæt..God..us sende on wyrsan tintreᵹo. c1000Ags. Gosp. Matt. ix. 16 Se slite byð þe wyrsa [peior scissura fit]. c1200Ormin 7395 Þa beþ hemm ȝarrkedd mare inoh & werrse pine inn helle, þann iff [etc.]. c1230Hali Meid. (1922) 19 Se herre degre, se þe fal is wurse. 1297R. Glouc. (Rolls) 7691 Wo so come to esse him riȝt of eni trespas, Bote he payde him þe bet, þe wors is ende was. c1386Chaucer Knt.'s T. 366 Now is my prison worse than biforn. a1440Sir Eglam. 293 Yn werse tyme blewe he never hys horne. 1484Caxton Fables of Auian xiii, Werse is the stroke of a tonge than the stroke of a spere. 1531Elyot Gov. i. xiii. (1883) I. 116 Whiche nowe, beinge men, nat onely haue forgotten their congruite..but, that wars is, hath all lernynge in derision. 1542Udall Erasm. Apoph. ii. 300 And to that horrible cruell dede he gaue no wurse name but vncomely demeanure. 1580G. Harvey Three Proper Lett. 35 Non omni dormio, worse lucke. 1596Edward III, ii. i. 451 Lillies that fester smel far worse then weeds [= Shakes. Sonn. xciv. 14]. 1597Middleton Hist. Chinon v. F 4, Closelie pent vp in delights, farre more worse vnto her than darke Dungeons. 1602–12,1693[see remedy n. 1 b]. 1634A. Warwick Spare Min. i. (ed. 2) 14, I will either make my fortunes good, or bee content they are no worse. 1658Style Rep. 23 Oftentimes dubious words shall be taken in the worse sense. 1685Dryden Sylvæ Pref. a 3, But it will be ask'd why I turn'd him into this luscious English, (for I will not give it a worse word). 1697― æneis iv. 526 What have I worse to fear? 1732Pope Ep. Bathurst 319 Which of these is worse, Want with a full, or with an empty purse? 1775Sheridan St. Patrick's Day i. i, I never see her but she puts me in mind of my poor dear wife. O'Con. Ay, faith; in my opinion she can't do a worse thing. 1834Marryat P. Simple xxxviii, ‘If the weather becomes worse—’ ‘It can't be worse,’ interrupted O'Brien, ‘it's impossible to blow harder.’ 1835T. Mitchell Acharn. of Aristoph. 584 note, This word [λιπαρός] bore two meanings; its better sense implying brightness and splendour, its worse betokening fatness and grease. 1840Dickens Old C. Shop vi, Come, you drop that stick or it'll be worse for you. 1870J. H. Newman Gram. Assent ii. x. 398 If logic finds fault with it, so much the worse for logic. 1871Geo. Eliot Middlem. xxv. II. 56 No very good news; but then it might be worse. 1876Queen Victoria More Leaves (1884) 333 The rain continued persistently, having got worse just as the prayer began. 1879McCarthy Donna Q. I. 55 There are worse things to be endured in life than being thought too much of by one's husband. 1881M. E. Braddon Asph. II. 6 If you have not profited by my outlay, so much the worse for you.
†b. Harder to deal with, more difficult. Obs.
a1225Ancr. R. 50 Þe blake cloð..is þiccure aȝein þe wind, & wurse to þurhseon. 1297R. Glouc. (Rolls) 1114 Vor ȝif hii adde o þing iwonne of castel oþer of toune, Wel þe worse it wolde be to bringe hom þer doune.
c. More unattractive; more unsuitable or unfitting; more faulty, incorrect, ill-conceived, etc.
1640Hobbes Hum. Nat. Ep. Ded. (1650) A 7, For the Stile, it is therefore the worse, because, whilst I was writing, I consulted more with Logick then with Rhetorick. 1666Earl of Orrery St. Lett. (1742) 187 The argument was bad, the plot worse, the contempt of authority worst of all. 1741C'tess Pomfret in Ctess. Hartford's Corr. (1805) III. 85, I..went to see the palace of prince Giustiniani. In my life I never saw a worse. a1745Swift Story Injured Lady (1746) 2 She has bad Features, and a worse Complexion. 1797Ht. Lee Canterb. T. (1799) I. 338 Nothing makes a man worse company than being in love with his own thoughts. 1841Spalding Italy I. 372 They were much given..to fixing maximum prices on provisions of every sort, but in respect to corn they did what was even worse. 1841Dickens Barn. Rudge lxv, ‘Worse manners’, said the hangman,..‘I never see in this place afore.’ 1847G. F. Ruxton Adv. Mexico xxxiii. 306 Old manuscripts, written on bad paper, and with worse ink. 1868A. L. Gordon in Turner & Sutherland Developm. Austral. Lit. (1898) 201 Mount..has a head worse if possible for business than mine.
d. With agent-noun: More unskilful or inefficient; that does the work more badly. Also, more addicted to some (specified) bad habit.
1719De Foe Crusoe i. (Globe) 136 If I was a bad Carpenter, I was a worse Taylor. 1827Faraday Chem. Manip. xvii. (1842) 459 These remarks..become more applicable, when the substance acted upon is a worse conductor of electricity. 1871Geo. Eliot Middlem. xxiii. II. 21, I never heard but one worse roarer in my life, and that was a roan. 1898J. Arch Story of Life xii. 281 The more uneducated a man is the worse hand he is at waiting.
e. worse and worse: cf. 1 c.
1154O.E. Chron. an. 1137 (Laud MS.) And ðæt lastede þa .xix. wintre wile Stephne was king & æure it was werse & werse. c1522Skelton Why nat to Courte? 132 Whyles he doth rule, All is warse and warse. a1548Hall Chron., Hen. IV 2 b, All thynges.., as well in the realme as without, waxed worsse and worsse. 1596Shakes. Tam. Shr. v. ii. 93 Worse and worse, she will not come: Oh vilde, intollerable, not to be indur'd. 1682Lond. Gaz. No. 1760/2 The affairs of Hungary grow worse and worse. 1720Lady B. Germaine in Ctess. Suffolk's Lett. (1824) I. 73 Worse and worse here every day—no soul left that we know but Lady Kit and Mrs. Coke. 1735Pope Donne Sat. iv. 121 So when you plague a fool, 'tis still the curse, You only make the matter worse and worse. 1852Mrs. Stowe Uncle Tom's C. iii. 13, I have been patient; but it's growing worse and worse—flesh and blood can't bear it any longer. 1885‘Mrs. Alexander’ At Bay iv, ‘This is worse and worse,’ said Lady Gethin, gravely.
3. a. Less good, not so good, inferior; of lower quality or value.
Beowulf 1212 Wyrsan wiᵹfrecan wæl reafedon æfter guðsceare. c888ælfred Boeth. xxx. §1 Ic wat..þæt mæniᵹne mon sceamaþ þæt he wiorðe wyrsa þonne his eldran wæron. c1000Ags. Gosp. John ii. 10 ælc man sylþ ærest god win & þonne hiᵹ druncene beoð þæt þe wyrse byð. c1200Vices & Virtues 65 Þe þingð ðat þu naust naht to wurðin..ane wurse mann ðane ðu art. c1200Ormin 14064 Siþþenn he biginneþþ To brinngenn forþ summ werrse win, Son summ þe follc iss drunnkenn. c1205Lay. 383 Heo wes a cheuese, hire cheap wes þe wrse. a1300Cursor M. 38 O gode pertre coms god peres, Wers tre, vers fruit it beres. c1380Wyclif Wks. (1880) 190 And so þei menen þat crist..nedid alle prestis to leue þe betre and take the worse lif. c1386Chaucer Reeve's Prol. 18 That ilke fruyt [the medlar] is euer leng the wers Til it be roten. 1390Gower Conf. I. 5 Men sein it [the world] is now lassed, In worse plit than it was tho. 1481Cely Papers (Camden) 65, I saw newer Hollendars make whorsse payment in my dayys. 1573–80Tusser Husb. (1878) 35 The soile and the seede, with the sheafe and the purse, the lighter in substance, for profite the wurse. 1594Knaresb. Wills (Surtees) I. 200 My worse cloke. 1597Hooker Eccl. Pol. v. lvii. §1 They which at all times haue opportunitie of vsing the better meane to that purpose, will surely hold the worse in lesse estimation. 1601Shakes. Jul. C. iii. i. 139 The Master is a Wise and Valiant Romane, I neuer thought him worse. 1606― Ant. & Cl. iii. ii. 52 He ha's a cloud in 's face. Eno. He were the worse for that, were he a Horse. 1615J. Taylor (Water P.) Urania xliii. B 8 b, Worse then the dust, that vnder-foot is trod. 1654Gayton Pleas. Notes i. 2, I attribute this Costivenesse..to his yeares, being on the worse side of forty. 1759Brown Compl. Farmer 32 Sheep..should be bought from a worse land to bring on to a better. 1776Adam Smith W.N. iv. viii, Though it is acknowledged, that the commodity of the distant country is of a worse quality than that of the near one. 1770Cases temp. Hardwicke 35 It can never be interpreted, that removing oneself from a worse prison to a better is a surrender of oneself into custody. 1820Scott Monast. Introd. Ep., ‘They are prime stanes’..; ‘warse than the best wad never serve the monks, I'se warrant.’ 1894Times 10 July 11/3 [Tennis] Two fine chases—worse than a yard and better than half a yard.
†b. Of silver or coin: Of less value than (a specified standard). Obs.
1488–9,1681[see sterling B. 3]. 1549Latimer Ploughers (Arb.) 27 The sayinge is, that since priests haue bene minters, money hath bene wourse then it was before. 1715in Lond. Gaz. No. 5349/3 A certain Person was indicted for selling Silver Wares worse than Sterling. 1716Ibid. No. 5404/4 Silver..one third Part worse than the said Act directs. 1782in Phil. Trans. (1803) XCIII. 135 The coins were worse than standard.
†c. In phrases implying loss or defeat, as the worse deal, worse end, worse part, worse side. Obs.
a900Cynewulf Crist 1225 Ond þær womsceaþan on þone wyrsan dæl fore scyppende scyrede weorþað. a1300Cursor M. 21466 Þan said þat juu, bi sant drightin Mi thinc þe wers part es mine. 1387Trevisa Higden II. 29 Þat ȝere men of þat side schal haue the worse ende and be ouercome. 14..Guy Warw. (Cambr. MS.) 602 Wyth pryde he wolde juste wyth Gye: The worse parte come hym bye. Ibid. 3537 Yf he falle on þe warse syde. a1530J. Heywood Play of Love 1258 (Brandl) Then shall I shewe such a thyng in this purs As shortly shall shewe herein your part the wurs. 1583Golding Calvin on Deut. lxxiii. 449/1 He shall obtayne no right in Law. And if he doe, yet shall he haue the worse end of the staffe.
d. to be worse than one's word: to fail to carry out, or act up to, what one has promised.
1672Wycherley Love in a Wood v. v. 89 Will you be worse then your word? 1715De Foe Fam. Instruct. i. viii. (1841) I. 139, I will not be worse than my word to my lady. 1826Galt Last of Lairds xxxix. 352 Mrs. Soorocks was not worse than her word, for [etc.].
e. worse half: used jocularly to match better half (see better A. 3 c).
1783H. Walpole Let. to Lady Browne 19 Oct., It is not fit my better-half should be ignorant of the state of her worse-half. 1884Flor. Marryat Under Lilies & Roses iv, The preparations would serve to occupy our time, whilst our worse halves are out shooting.
4. Predicatively (often with the: see the adv.).
a. Of persons: Less fortunate, less well off; in less favourable circumstances or position. Const. for (some person or thing that causes deterioration or loss).
a1122O.E. Chron. an. 1064 (Laud MS.) Swa þet seo scyre & þa oðra scyre þe þær neh sindon wurdon fela wintra þe wyrsan. a1250Owl & Night. 303 Wenestu þat haueck bo þe worse Þoȝ crowe bigrede him bi þe mershe? 1340–70Alex. & Dind. 231 For þe wers is no weih, wis ȝif he seme, Þouh he finde oþur folk folewen his dedus. 1362Langl. P. Pl. A. i. 26 And drink whon þou druiȝest, but do hit not out of Resun, Þat þou worþe þe worse whon þou worche scholdest. c1520Skelton Magnyf. 1761 To make fayre promyse, what are ye the worse? a1542Sir T. Wyatt Poems (1913) I. 150 A diligent knave that pikes his maisters purse May please him so that he withouten mo Executor is, and what is he the wourse? 1595Shakes. John i. i. 183 A foot of Honor better then I was, But many a many foot of Land the worse. 1596― Merch. V. iii. ii. 263 When I told you My state was nothing, I should then haue told you That I was worse then nothing. 1601― Twel. N. v. i. 30 Thou shalt not be the worse for me, there's gold. 1610― Temp. ii. i. 261 Say, this were death That now hath seiz'd them, why they were no worse Then now they are. 1621Lady M. Wroth Urania i. 1 Miserable Vrania, worse art thou now then these thy Lambs; for they know their dams, while thou dost liue vnknowne of any. a1708Beveridge Thes. Theol. (1711) III. 203 Thou art never the worse, for others being better. 1777Sheridan Sch. Scand. iii. i, I hadn't the Pleasure of knowing his Distresses till he was some thousands worse than nothing. a1784Johnson in Mrs. Piozzi Anecd. (1925) 43 How would the world be worse for it,..if all your relations were at once spitted like larks, and roasted for Presto's supper? 1840Barham Ingol. Leg. Ser. i. Jackdaw of Rheims, Nobody seem'd one penny the worse!
b. Less well in health, physical condition, or spirits; less hale or strong.
the worse for (Sc. of): overcome or intoxicated by (liquor, drink). Also transf.
c1000Ags. Gosp. Mark v. 26 [Hire] hit naht ne fremode, ac wæs þe wyrse. 1388Wyclif Mark v. 26 [She] was nothing amendid, but was rather the wors. c1440Partonope 6402 (E.E.T.S.) Forthewyth was broghte hym hys hakeneye, Neyther better ne worse, but in þe same a-Raye As he hym fryste broȝte frome the foreste: He semyd no-þynge a lusty beste. 1508Kennedie Flyting 464 And now thy wame is wers than ewir it was. 1540Palsgr. Acolastus iv. vi. V iv b, It liketh me not to remember it .i. I am the worse whan I thynke on it. 1552Huloet, Warsse to be for age, vetutesco. 1594Shakes. Rich. III, i. iii. 3 Ther's no doubt his Maiesty Will soone recouer his accustom'd health. Gray. In that you brooke it ill, it makes him worse. 1597― 2 Hen. IV, ii. iv. 113, I am the worse when one sayes, swagger. 1603Dekker Wonderful Year E 2 b, There was she worse then before. 1776Trial of Nundocomar 23/1 He was at first very ill, then got better; he is now worse. 1837Lockhart Scott IV. viii. 261 He answered, that he had ridden more than forty [miles], a week before,..and felt nothing the worse. 1856Merivale Rom. Emp. (1871) V. xliii. 196 Germanicus grew rapidly worse. 1861F. Nightingale Nursing 10, I hope you were not the worse for my visit.
(b)1835Marryat Jac. Faithf. i, My mother had retired to her bed a little the worse for liquor. 1871Geo. Eliot Middlem. xxxix. II. 316 When a man..has..made himself the worse for liquor, he's done enough mischief for one day. 1881J. B. Gough Sunlight & Shadow 266 Who ever saw me the worse for drink? 1885Stevenson Prince Otto iii. ii. 268 To tell you the open truth, your Highness, I was the worse of drink. 1913Spect. 24 May 874/1 A learned judge said of Mr. Gladstone that he was often ‘the worse’ for flattery.
c. Of things: In less good condition; showing signs of damage, deterioration, or loss of quality. Const. for (see 4 a), obs. or dial. of.
it would be none the worse for: i.e. it would be all the better for, would be improved by. colloq.
c1290St. Dominic 64 in S. Eng. Leg. 279 Þat writ lay longue in þat fuyr, and neuere þe weorse it nas, Ne nouȝt i-wemned of one letter. c1440Pallad. on Husb. xi. 101 Let brede hem [sc. olives], lest they hete and be the wers. 1546,1711[see wearing vbl. n.1 3]. 1592Shakes. Ven. & Ad. 207 What were thy lips the worse for one poore kis? 1596Spenser F.Q. v. xii. 35 Euery matter worse was for her melling. 1753–4Richardson Grandison II. xviii. 129 Sir Charles answered..That he would take a survey of the timber upon his estate, and fell that which would be the worse for standing. 1782Cowper John Gilpin 183 A hat not much the worse for wear. 1824in Spirit Public Jrnls. (1825) 213 His face..rather the worse of the dirt by which it was encased. 1835Dickens Sk. Boz, Greenwich Fair, Blue satin shoes and sandals (a leetle the worse for wear). 1839F. A. Kemble Resid. Georgia (1863) 20 Their allowance of rice and Indian meal would not be the worse for such additions. 1883D. C. Murray Hearts xvii. (1885) 137 Her finery was naturally all the worse for having been fine. 1911Athenæum 19 Aug. 216/3 We do not know that his book is much the worse for this avowal of purpose. Mod. His coat would be none the worse for a good brushing.
d. worse and worse: cf. 1 c, 2 e.
1471Caxton Recuyell (Sommer) 23 Saturne thus felyng hym in grete sorow & trowble and alwey wors and wors as a fore is sayd. 1553Respublica iv. iii. 1019 Truelie, I fele miselfe hitherto wurse and wurse. 1605Shakes. Macb. iii. iv. 117, I pray you speake not: he growes worse and worse. 1848Thackeray Van. Fair xiv, ‘Well, Jane?’ ‘Wuss and wuss, Miss B.,’ Firkin said, wagging her head. ‘Is she not better then?’
5. Comb., as worse-natured, worse-tempered adjs.
1648W. Jenkyn Blind Guide Pref. A 3, His being badly nurtur'd formerly, and worse natur'd still. 1659Gentl. Calling 446 These differ from the former..as a worse natured fool from a better. 1747Richardson Clarissa I. ii. 10 My poor sister is not naturally good-humoured... She must therefore have appeared to great disadvantages when she aim'd to be worse-temper'd than ordinary.
B. absol. or as n. Chiefly ellipt. or absol. uses, with or without the def. or indef. article.
1. a. A person that is less good, virtuous, kindly, etc. As pl., those that are worse.
c1175Lamb. Hom. 85 In halie chirche boð betere and wurse. 13..Cursor M. 1057 (Gött.) Caym was þe feindes fode, was neuer wers of moder born. 13..E.E. Allit. P. B. 80 Boþe burnes & burdez, þe better & þe wers, Laþez hem alle luflyly to lenge at my fest. a1529Skelton Agst. Garnesche iv. 17 Beholde thi selfe, and thou mayst se; Thow xalte beholde no wher a warse. 1579Spenser Sheph. Cal. Envoy 12 The better please, the worse despise, I aske nomore. 1601Shakes. Jul. C. iii. ii. 116, I feare there will a worse come in his place. 1606― Ant. & Cl. i. ii. 68 And let her dye too, and giue him a worse, and let worse follow worse. 1667Milton P.L. x. 903 He..shall see her gaind By a farr worse. 1823Byron Juan x. lxvii, That worse than worst of foes, the once ador'd False friend. 1901Westm. Gaz. 6 Nov. 2/4 Fool will take Fool, and Worse take Worse.
†b. the worse: the Evil One, the Devil. Obs.
c1200Trin. Coll. Hom. 187 Iob..þe wan wið þe wurse. Ibid. 191 Neddre smuhgð diȝeliche. Swo doð þe werse. c1205Lay. 1140 Temple heo funden þar ane..Þe wrse hit hafde to welden. Ibid. 11091 Þe wurse [c 1275 þe feond] hine luuede. Ibid. 29188 Crist seolue he forsoc and to þan wursen he tohc.
c. n. pl. (one's) worses = inferiors. (Nonce-use, after betters.)
1873Ruskin Fors Clav. xxviii. 9 Speaking to you, then, as workers, and of myself as an idler, tell me honestly whether you consider me as addressing my betters or my worses? Ibid. 18 The question whether you are the betters or the worses of your masters.
2. a. Something worse; what is more evil, harmful, grievous, unlucky, etc.; a greater degree of badness.
Beowulf 1739 He þæt wyrse ne con. c888ælfred Boeth. x, Hu meaht þu þonne mænan þæt wyrse & þæt laðre nu ðu ðæt leofre hæfst ᵹehealden? a900Cynewulf Elene 1039 He þæt betere ᵹeceas..& þam wyrsan wiðsoc. c1205Lay. 3431 Ich wende swiðe wel to don ac wurse ich habbe vnderfon. Ibid. 24822 Ȝif þu swa nult don Þu scalt wursen vnderfon. c1330R. Brunne Chron. Wace (Rolls) 2432 Alas! he seyde, y hider cam! Fro wycke vntil wors y nam. c1374Chaucer Troylus iii. 1074 Now is wykke i-turned vnto worse. c1500Lancelot 515 Wers than this can nat be said for me. 1581A. Hall Iliad i. 10 This tyrant too, whose senses stil to worse and worse do runne. 1590Spenser F.Q. ii. iii. 46 For feare of worse, that may betide. 1593Shakes. Rich. II, i. iii. 301 Oh no, the apprehension of the good Giues but the greater feeling to the worse. 1602― Ham. iii. iv. 179 Thus bad begins, and worse remaines behinde. 1606― Tr. & Cr. iii. ii. 79 To feare the worst, oft cures the worse. 1614Bp. Hall Recoll. Treat. 974 Weake and base mindes euer incline to the worse. 1667Milton P.L. ix. 128 Though thereby worse to me redound. a1796Burns Grace bef. Dinner, And, if it please thee, Heavenly Guide, May never worse be sent. 1812Byron Ch. Har. i. iv, Worse than adversity the Childe befell. 1824Scott Redgauntlet ch. xx, With fair warning not to come back on such an errand, lest worse come of it. 1864Tennyson En. Ard. 742 That which he better might have shunn'd, if griefs Like his have worse or better. 1864G. A. Lawrence Maurice Dering I. 132 You had better take yourself off peaceably, before worse comes of it. 1869Morris Earthly Par. III. 423 (Lovers of Gudrun), Ah, farewell, Lest of mine eyes thou shouldst have worse to tell Than now thou hast! 1896A. E. Housman Shropshire Lad xliv, Dust's your wages, son of sorrow, But men may come to worse than dust.
b. to do worse: to behave more wickedly, badly, foolishly, etc.; also, with dative of person or to, to deal with or treat (a person) more harshly or unkindly.
Orig. const. with the adv.: see worse adv. 1, 1 b. In the early examples given here, the inflexion seems to indicate the neut. adj. or quasi-n., and the word is perh. usually so apprehended in later use. Cf. do good, good n. 5 a.
1154O.E. Chron. an. 1137 (Laud MS.) Næure hethen men werse ne diden þan hi diden. Ibid. 1140 He..dide þanne wærse þanne he hær sculde. c1200Moral Ode 223 (Trin. MS.) Werse he doð his gode wines þan his fiendes. c1205Lay. 3496 Nule heo me do na wurse þanne hire lond forwurnen. Ibid. 29186 Gurmunddes mon he bicom: ne mihte he na wurse don, for crist seolue he forsoc. a1250Owl & Night. 1408 Hweþer deþ wurse, flesch þe gost? c1330R. Brunne Chron. Wace (Rolls) 8696 Syn þey had mercy & pyte, Wirse þan þey schul nought do we. c1380Wyclif Sel. Wks. III. 250 Why schulde noȝt men now reprove popes, ȝif þei don now wersse? c1386Chaucer Sqr.'s T. 592 Who kan sey bet than he, who kan do werse? 1396― Lenvoy a Bukton 17 But yet lest thow doo worse, take a wyfe. c1500H. Medwall Nature ii. 245 In good fayth syr ye may do wurs. 1535Coverdale Jer. iii. 5 Thou speakest soch wordes, but thou art euer doinge worse, and worse. 1605Shakes. Macb. iv. ii. 71 To do worse to you were fell Cruelty.
c. What is less good or precious or valuable. (Cf. worse a. 3.)
a1586Sidney Arcadia iii. Wks. 1922 II. 22 Never after to feede of worse then furmentie. 1596Shakes. Merch. V. ii. vii. 55 Neuer so rich a Iem Was set in worse then gold. 1667Milton P.L. ix. 102 For what God after better worse would build? 1697Dryden Virg. Georg. i. 289 All below, whether by Nature's Curse, Or Fate's Decree, degen'rate still to worse. 1876Geo. Eliot Dan. Der. lvi, That thorn-pressure which must come with the crowning of the sorrowful Better, suffering because of the Worse.
d. Used as an alternative or addition to an unfavourable epithet or characterization = something worse still. Usually or worse, and worse.
1393Langl. P. Pl. C. xviii. 72 Men may lykne letterid men to a lussheborgh, oþer werse. 1513Bradshaw St. Werburge i. 1011 A vyllayne orels wers sothly thou was borne. 1653Walton Angler vii. 147, I might say more of this, but it might be thought curiosity or worse. a1734North Ld. Kpr. Guilford (1742) 224 The Man's Wife was his Nurse, or worse. 1851Kingsley Yeast xiii, They say, sir, he went up to court, and slandered the nuns there for drunkards and worse. 1898‘H. S. Merriman’ Roden's Corner xxv. 269 Everybody knows that it is a disgrace or worse—perhaps a crime.
3. In phrases with a preposition.
a. for better, for worse, also for better or (for) worse: used where an issue is doubtful or beyond human control.
to put to better and to worse: ? to subject to every kind of luck (quot. c 1430).
1390Gower Conf. II. 24 For bet, for wers, for oght, for noght, Sche passeth nevere fro my thoght. c1430Chev. Assigne 244, I wolle putte my body to better & to worse, To fyȝte for þe qwene. a1500Sarum Manuale, In sponsalibus (Rouen 1501) fo. xlvii, I N. take the N. to my wedded wif to haue and to holde fro this day forward for bettere for wers for richere for pouerer. a1548Hall Chron., Hen. VIII 59 b, And so for better or worse, the Frencheman called the Englisheman knaue and went away with the stockdoues. 1639J. Clarke Parœm. 122 For better for worse. 1848Dickens Dombey lix, Mr. Towlinson..informs the kitchen that him and Anne have now resolved to take one another for better for worse. 1871Smiles Charac. i. (1876) 10 Character is undergoing constant change, for better or for worse. 1905H. W. Boynton Bret Harte 85 He had also, for better or worse, a decided instinct to invest human nature..with certain attributes of ideal grace.
b. for († to, † into) the worse: chiefly used to indicate the result of a change in condition or quality, fortune, or circumstances.
c1400Mandeville (Roxb.) xxiv. 113 Þe iournee chaunged efter to þe werse. 1548Forrest Pleas. Poesye 352 The worlde is chaunged from that it hathe beene, Not to the bettre but to the warsse farre. 1620[? G. Brydges] Horæ Subs. 319 Honor nourisheth in light and vain men a wrong opinion of their own worth, and consequently, often changeth their manners into the worse. 1668Dryden Maiden Q. iii. i, All we have done succeeds still to the worse. a1712W. King Letter Wks. 1776 III. 272 It is thy curse Ever to change, and ever for the worse. 17..[Burns] Carl, an the king come ii, I trow we swapped for the warse. 1835T. Mitchell Acharn. of Aristoph. 263 note, The Doric character generally was undergoing a most important change for the worse.
c. from bad († evil, † ill) to worse.
1549Latimer 4th Serm. bef. Edw. VI (Arb.) 121 He by vnrepentaunce fell frome euyll to worse, and frome worse, to worste of all. 1550Lever Serm. (Arb.) 32 You whych haue gotten these goodes into your own handes, to turne them from euyll to worse. 1562J. Heywood Prov. & Epigr. (1867) 73 Suche driftes draue he, from yll to wars and wars. 1579Spenser Sheph. Cal. Febr. 12 Must not the world wend in his commun course From good to badd, and from badde to worse, From worse vnto that is worst of all..? 1639J. Taylor (Water P.) Pt. Summers Travels 43 You draw us from bad to worse, and from worse to worst. 1649C. Wase Sophocles, Electra 38 See then lest Bad enough to Worse advance. 1667Milton P.L. xii. 106 Thus will this latter, as the former World, Still tend from bad to worse. 1739–40Richardson Pamela (1740) I. xxvii. 85 How easy it is to go from bad to worse, when once People give way to Vice. 1894Somerville & ‘Ross’ Real Charlotte I. vii. 87 The land went from bad to worse. [1930F. A. Pottle Stretchers 64 The weather was warm, and if worse came to worst, we could encamp in our pup tents where we were.] 1961New Eng. Bible 2 Tim. iii. 13 Wicked men and charlatans will make progress from bad to worse.
†d. (to judge) to the worse: disadvantageously, unfavourably. Obs.
1549Coverdale Erasm. Par. Rom. xiv. 39 Take heede that no man iudge others actes to the worse [nec alius alium judicet in malum].
e. (to differ) for the worse: to one's disadvantage.
1855Macaulay Hist. Eng. III. xi. 83 The situation of the Quaker differed from that of other dissenters, and differed for the worse.
4. a. the worse, the losing or less desirable part (in a contest, or the like); disadvantage. Cf. A. 3 c and worst n. 8. Chiefly in the phrases which follow (b, c, d).
c1205Lay. 26594 And ær heo to-tweinden Þe wurse wes Rom-leoden. Ibid. 26997 Bruttes wokeden þa & heore wes þat wurse. 14..Guy Warw. (Cambr. MS.) 11073 He þoght, þe warse went on hys syde. a1425Cursor M. 7760 (Trin.) Of þis batail þat was so snel þe wors [Cott. force, Gött. fors] on kyng saul fel. c1489Caxton Sonnes of Aymon i. 39, I byleue, yf the kynge beseege the castelle that the worsse shalle retourne vnto hym.
b. to have the worse: to be worsted or defeated in a contest. Also gen. to have the disadvantage in a comparison with another.
c1205Lay. 26712 Þa iwræð sone Þat Bruttes hafden þat wurse. c1330R. Brunne Chron. Wace (Rolls) 16373 He þat hit gan, þe worse he hadde. 13..E.E. Allit. P. C. 48 Þenne is me lyȝtloker hit lyke & her lotes prayse, Þenne wyþer wyth & be wroth & þe wers haue. c1386Chaucer Knt.'s T. 490 Yow loueres axe I now this question, Who hath the worse [v.r. werse], Arcite or Palamon? 1390Gower Conf. II. 380 Wicke is to stryve and have the worse. c1450Merlin iii. 56 In that bataile was grete mortalite on bothe parties, but the hethen peple hadde moche the werse. 1470–85Malory Arthur vii. xxx. 261 Sir Gawayne and syr Trystram mette, and there syr Gawayne had the werse. 1567Painter Pal. Pleas. II. xxx. 352 b, In the end, the Salimbenes had the worsse [in a skirmish with the Montanines]. 1590Spenser F.Q. ii. v. 15 Was neuer man, who most conquestes atchieu'd, But sometimes had the worse, and lost by warre. 1860E. Eden Semi-attached Couple iv, Perhaps the instinct that always leads a man to foresee when an impending explanation is not likely to end in his favour, prompted him to divine that he should have the worse of this. 1888Oman Hist. Greece xv. (1901) 142 A running fight ensued, in which the invaders had greatly the worse.
†c. to go (away) with, to go (or come) to, unto, by the worse: to be defeated or worsted, fail, miscarry.
(a)c1374Chaucer Troylus iv. 49 The folk of Troye hem seluen so mysledden That with þe worse at nyght homward þey fledden. 1632Holland Cyrupædia i. 12 Went he any time away with the worse? very pleasant he was and laughed at himselfe most of all.
(b)1470–85Malory Arthur i. ix. 46 Fyghte not with the swerde ye had by myracle, til that ye see ye go vnto the wers. 1532Tindale Exp. v–vii Matt. vii. (c 1550) 87 b, Which handes, if thou for werines once let fal, thou goest to the worse immediatly. 1591Savile Tacitus, Hist. ii. xi. 67 In those ordinary bickerings..he commonly went to the worse. Ibid., Agricola 251 Now sommer and winter alike they went to the worse [tum aestate atque hieme iuxta pellebantur]. 1597Beard Theatre God's Judgem. (1612) 96 As Truth got euer the vpper hand,..so the brochers and vpholders of falshood came euer to the worse.
(c)1560J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 310 The beginning should procede of you, whiche in the cause are inferiours, and goe by the worse. 1565Golding Cæsar i. 23 [c. 31] To whom the Heduanes and their confederates had diuerse tymes gyuen battell: wherin going by the wors, they had receyued great domage. 1641C. Burges Serm. 5 Nov. 55 Have they not miscarried, and gone by the worse all along? 1641J. Shute Sarah & Hagar (1649) 34 Neither let us despair of them, because they have been foiled, that they will still hereafter go by the worse. 1671Milton Samson 904 In argument with men a woman ever Goes by the worse.
†d. to put to the (or one's) worse: to defeat, worst, discomfit, in a contest or conflict. Obs.
1470–85Malory Arthur x. lviii. 512 He put me to the werse or on foot or on horsbak. c1482J. Kay tr. Caoursin's Siege of Rhodes Ded. in Gibbon Crusades, etc. (1870) 136 But ther [at Rhodes] he was put to hys worse and to shame. 1538Elyot Dict., Pessundo, to cast vnder foote, to put to the warse. 1568Grafton Chron. II. 78 For euer, if they chaunced to skirmishe, the Frenchmen were put vnto the worse. 1584D. Powel Lloyd's Cambria 9 When he had by the space of ten yeares warred with diuers Kings, and often put them to the woorse. 1606G. Woodcock Hist. Ivstine iv. 22 He was twice put vnto the worse [iv. iv. 9 duobus proeliis victus]. 1611Bible 2 Chron. vi. 24 If thy people Israel be put to the worse before the enemy. a1641Bp. R. Montagu Acts & Mon. (1642) 265 Aretas..took the field againe, but was put to the worse.
†e. to wring to the worse: to vex, distress. Obs.
1553R. Ascham Germany Wks. (1904) 133 Octauio was euermore wrong to the worse by many and sundry spites.
▪ II. worse, v. Obs. exc. in nonce-use.|wɜːs|
Forms: 1 wyrsian, wyrsiᵹan, 2 wursien, 3 wurse(n, wursi, wursin, werse(n, Orm. werrsenn, 4 worsi, 4, 6–7, 9 worse.
[OE. wyrsian, f. wyrsa worse a. Cf. OFris. wersia to resist, withstand, OHG. wirsôn (MHG. wirsen, würsen) to make worse.]
1. intr. To become or grow worse, deteriorate.
c825Vesp. Ps. xxxvii. 6 Fuladun & wyrsadon [deteriora verunt] wundsweðe mine. c1000ælfric Hom. I. 124 He sceolde beon ascyred fram manna neawiste, ᵹif his hreofla wyrsiᵹende wære. a1023Wulfstan Hom. xxxiii. (1883) 158 Folclaᵹa wyrsedan ealles to swyðe. a1122O.E. Chron. an. 1085 (Laud MS.) & aa hit wyrsode mid mannan swiðor & swiðor. c1175Lamb. Hom. 47 Þa sende me claðes..for to biwinden þe rapes, þet his licome þe feble wes ne sceolde noht wursien. c1205Lay. 18931 Ȝif ich wilne æhte, Þenne wursede [c 1275 wersede] ich on crafte. a1225Ancr. R. 326 Þe wunde þet euer wurseð an hond, & strengre is forte helen. a1240Sawles Warde in O.E. Hom. I. 265 Sikere ha beoð..of þulli blisse, þat hit ne mei neauer mare lutlin ne wursin. 1340Ayenb. 33 Efterward comþ werihede þet makeþ þane man weri and worsi uram daye to daye. 1854Sir J. D. Hooker in L. Huxley Life (1918) I. 352 Evil as our days are, whether they mended or worsed, it would [etc.].
2. trans. To make worse, impair, injure, blemish.
c1200Ormin 11845 To werrsenn & to niþþrenn uss Biforenn Godess ehne. a1225Ancr. R. 428 Ȝe muwen muchel þuruh ham beon i-goded, and i-wursed [MS. T. wursnet]. a1225Leg. Kath. 2165 Þet tet wake ules ne wursi neauer mi mod. a1240Ureisun in O.E. Hom. I. 202 Mine sunnen habbeð grimliche iwursed me. c1320Cast. Love 811 Hire holy maidenhod Þat neuer for no þing i-worsed nas. c1380Wyclif Sel. Wks. II. 161 Oþer creaturis ben beterid, and noon ben worsid, bi þis ȝifte. Ibid. III. 349 Whan þei maken freris, þat ben worsid bi þis makyng, þei don hem a goostli harm. 1598R. Haydocke tr. Lomazzo To Rdr., Other Translators, who are reputed to haue taken great paines in worsing their authors. 1616Breton Good & Bad 39 His breeding may eyther better or worse him. 1621Quarles Esther Wks. (Grosart) II. 52/1 What's good, (like Iron) rusts for want of vse, And what is bad, is worsed with abuse. 1667Milton P.L. vi. 440 Perhaps more valid Armes,..when next we meet, May serve to better us, and worse our foes. 1867A. Trollope Last Chron. Barset (1869) I. xlii. 446 [Waiter at country inn loq.] Them as goes away to better themselves, often worses themselves, as I call it. 1886Referee 21 Feb. 7/4 Instead of bettering it [sc. their condition] they have ‘worsed’ it.
▪ III. worse, adv.|wɜːs|
Forms: α. 1 wiers, wirs, 1–2 wyrs; 2–6 wurs, 3 wrs(e, 3–6 wurse; 3–6 wors, 3– worse, 4 worsse, 6 woorse. β. 2–6 wers, 4–6 werse, 5 werce; 5–7 wars, 5, 8–9 north. warse, 5–6 warsse.
[OE. wyrs, wiers = OS. wirs, OHG. wirs (MHG. wirs, würs), ON. verr (for *wers; hence war adv.; SW. värr), Goth. wairs: see worse a.]
Used as the comparative of the advs. badly, ill, evil, evilly.
1. More badly or wickedly; more censurably or foolishly in regard to conduct.
In do worse, the word is now perh. usually regarded as the neuter adj. or n.: see worse n. 2 b.
c897ælfred Gregory's Past. C. xxviii. 189 Ða under⁓ðioddan ðæt hie wiers ne don ðonne him man bebeode. a1000Sal. & Sat. 181 Wyrs deð se ðe liehð oððe ðæs soðes ansæceð. a1250Owl & Night. 1416 Such heo mahte beo of golnesse, Þat sunegeþ wurse in modinesse. c1315Shoreham iii. 221 Þou halst wel wors þane masseday Þane man myd hys workynge. 1340–70Alex. & Dind. 783 Wers wirchen no folk þan ȝe weiȝes alle. 1362Langl. P. Pl. A. iii. 102 Unwittily, ywys, wrouht hastou ofte, Bote worse wrouhtest þou neuere þen whon þou fals toke. Ibid. A. xi. 279 Þanne marie þe maudeleyn who miȝte do wers? c1380Wyclif Sel. Wks. I. 44 But oure Pharisees to dai done wel wers. 1546J. Heywood Prov. i. xi. (1867) 32 We maie doo much ill, er we doo much wars. 1781Cowper Table Talk 518, I judg'd a man of sense could scarce do worse Than caper in the morris-dance of verse.
b. More severely, hardly, harshly, unkindly, or unfavourably.
† to do (a person) worse, to treat more harshly or severely. Cf. worse n. 2 b, and, for the use of the adv., woe A. 6.
a1200Moral Ode 236 (Lambeth) Hi hem deð wa inoch..Nute hi hweþer hom deþ wurs [Trin. Coll. doð wers]. c1200Vices & Virtues 57 Ðeih he betere do ðan an oðer, þeih hweðere he læte wers of him seluen, ðanne he do of oðre. a1250Owl & Night. 793 Telstu bi me þe wrs [Cott. wurs] for þan Þat ic bute enne craft ne kan? c140026 Pol. Poems ii. 66 Euel thou spekest, worse dost mene. c1440Generydes 1365 He hym reportid wers thanne euer he ment. 1471Caxton Recuyell (Sommer) 68 Her sone tytan gouerned hym so malicyously and allewey worse and worse with out ony compassion on the peple. 1535Coverdale Gen. xix. 9 We will deale worse with the then with them. 1553Respublica 13 But let this be taken no wurse then yt ys mente. 1590Shakes. Mids. N. iii. ii. 45 Now I but chide, but I should vse thee worse. 1598― Merry W. ii. i. 56, I shall thinke the worse of fat men. 1605― Lear ii. ii. 155 My Sister may recieue it much more worsse, To haue her Gentle⁓man abus'd, assaulted. 1667in Extr. St. Papers Friends Ser. iii. (1912) 271 They have used us worse then they did before. 1667Milton P.L. xii. 484 Will they not deale Wors with his followers then with him they dealt? 1802Wordsw. Stanzas Castle Indol. 33 Some thought far worse of him, and judged him wrong. 1853Dickens Bleak Ho. xiv, I hope you won't think the worse of me for having made these little appointments at Miss Flite's. 1880Tennyson Columbus 106 Being but a Genovese, I am handled worse than had I been a Moor. 1881W. Collins Black Robe I. 236 You are sure you won't think the worse of me, if I tell it?
c. More carelessly, faultily, unskilfully, imperfectly, etc.
c1205Lay. 28560 Mon i þan fihte non þer ne mihte ikenne nenne kempe, no wha dude wurse [c 1275 wors], no wha bet. a1225Ancr. R. 208 Oðer ȝif me ȝemeð wurse ei þing ileaned oðer biteih to witene, þen he wene þet hit ouh. a1250Owl & Night. 505 Yet þu singest wrse [Cott. worse] þan þe heysuhge. 1377Langl. P. Pl. B. xvii. 322 It doth hym worse þan his wyf or wete to slepe. c140026 Pol. Poems ix. 51 Here waȝtes, þat þey waye þe wors. Ibid. x. 10 We fareþ as knaue þat takeþ his hyre byfore, Serue his mayster wel þe worse þerfore. 1442Rolls of Parlt. V. 64/1 Your Souldeours.. the wers paied of theire wagees. 1538Starkey England 99 The ground also wors tyllyd and occupyd. 1546Heywood Prov. i. xi. (1867) 32 Who is wurs shod than the shoemakers wyfe? Ibid. 34 At end I might put my winnyng in mine eye, And see neuer the woorse. 1580Sidney in A. Collins Lett. & Mem. (1746) I. 285, I would..your Worship would learne a better Hand, you write worse then I, and I write evell enough. 1611Shakes. Wint. T. iv. i. 30 If euer you haue spent time worse, ere now. 1709Pope Ess. Crit. 35 There are who judge still worse than he can write. 1749Fielding Tom Jones viii. vii, I may put all the good I have ever got by you in my eyes, and see never the worse. 1769Robertson Chas. V, III. xi. 368 Raw soldiers, ill-disciplined, and worse commanded. 1821Southey Lett. (1856) III. 288 The prints are ill drawn and worse executed upon stone. 1849Macaulay Hist. Eng. I. iii. 394 The English women of that generation were decidedly worse educated than they have been at any other time since the revival of learning.
2. More unfortunately, unluckily, or unhappily. worse off, in worse circumstances, less happily or fortunately situated: see off adv. 11.
In early use often with impers. vb. and dat. of person, e.g. (it) is, cheves, limps him wors (cf. woe A. 3 and Hêliand 1347 ‘wirs is thêm ôðrun’); later, it is, goes, etc. worse with him.
Prov. to go further, and fare worse: see further adv. 1 a.
c897ælfred Gregory's Past. C. xxxvi. 247 Ðylæs him ðy wirs sie. c1000Ags. Gosp. John v. 14 Ne synᵹa þu, þe-læs þe þe on sumon þingon wyrs ᵹetide. c1100O.E. Chron. an. 994 (MS. F) Ac hi þar..wyrs ᵹeferdan þonne hi æfre wendan. c1205Lay. 3453 Wel oft wes Leir wa and neuer wurs þanne þa. a1250Owl & Night. 34 Me is þe wurs þat ich þe iseo. c1275Vox & Wolf 202 in Rel. Ant. II. 276 Therfore ich fare the wors. a1300K. Horn 116 Ofte hadde horn beo wo Ac neure wurs þan him was þo. a1300Cursor M. 26784 And worthes þam wel wers þan ar, And quilum bettis neuer mare. c1325Sir Orfeo 98 (Sisam) When Orfeo herd þat tiding, Neuer him nas wers for no þing. 1377Langl. P. Pl. B. ix. 143 And alle for her forfadres þei ferden þe worse. Ibid. xiv. 226 And if he chyde or chatre, hym chieueth þe worse. c1380Sir Ferumb. 4550 Þay awondrede of him ecchon, þat for al þe strokes þat þay gerde on, þat hym nas noȝt þ⊇ wers. c1386Chaucer Miller's T. 547 And Absolon hym fil no bet ne wers. c1400Gamelyn 740 By god, for thi wordes he shal fare the wors. c1400Destr. Troy 5985 The Troiens full tyte were tyruit to ground: Thurghe Achilles chiualry hom cheuyt the worse. c140026 Pol. Poems xiv. 51 Make oþere folk þe worse to lyue, For synguler profyt þou wolde haue. c1420Anturs of Arth. 615 But him lymped þe worse. c1440Alphabet of Tales 502 ‘Suster, how is it with the?’ And sho ansswerd agayn & said; ‘Nevur wars.’ c1460Towneley Myst. iii. 191 God spede, dere wife, how fayre ye? Vxor. Now, as euer myght I thryfe, the wars I thee see. c1500Melusine xxix. 216 It is now with me wers than euer was. 1525Bp. J. Clerk in Ellis Orig. Lett. Ser. ii. I. 316 He shall ryght well knowe that he farythe nothyng the wars for the Kynges Highnes and your Grace is recommendation. 1548Hall Chron., Hen. V 67 But this mocion worse succeded then the entreators deuised. 1573–80Tusser Husb. (1878) 44 But worse shall he speed, that soweth ill seed. 1609Rowley Search for Money (Percy) 12 Seeke him and finde him hee must, or it would goe worse with him. 1639G. Plattes Discov. Subterr. Treas. 21 But the more I tryed the worse I sped. 1667Milton P.L. ii. 996 With ruin upon ruin, rout on rout, Confusion worse confounded. 1832G. C. Lewis Lett. (1870) 20 On the whole they are rather worse off than the convicts in the hulks. 1847Tennyson Princess iv. 467 A clamour grew As of a new-world Babel, woman-built, And worse-confounded.
b. worse and worse. Cf. worse a. 2 e.
1487Cely Papers (Camden) 159 The exchaunge goyth ever the lenger warsse and wars. 1553Respublica iv. ii. 990 And howe doo youe mend now in your thrifte & your purse? People. As zoure ale in sommer, that is still wurse & wurse. 1562J. Heywood Prov. & Epigr. (1867) 105 How dooth your eye syght? woorse and woorse (said he). 1639J. Clarke Parœm. 83 It mends like soure ale in summer worse and worse.
3. a. As an intensive, with verbs of hurting, harming, vexing, fearing, hating, etc.: More greatly, severely, or intensely; in a greater degree.
1596Shakes. 1 Hen. IV, iv. ii. 21 Such as feare the report of a Caliuer, worse then..a hurt wilde-Ducke. 1599― Much Ado ii. iii. 163 He would but make a sport of it, and torment the poore Lady worse. a1600Donne Sat. iv. 90 As Itch Scratch'd into smart, and as blunt iron ground Into an edge, hurts worse. 1607Shakes. Cor. i. viii. 2, I do hate thee Worse then a Promise-breaker. 1613― Hen. VIII iii. ii. 295 Ile startle you Worse then the Sacring Bell. 1667Milton P.L. ii. 293 Such another Field They dreaded worse then Hell. Ibid. vi. 607 Back defeated to return They worse abhorr'd. 1676Hobbes Iliad i. 312 Which, angry as he is, will vex him worse. a1796Burns Ep. from Esopus 65 Thou know'st, the virtues cannot hate thee worse. 1819Keats Cap & Bells xviii, That fellow's voice, which plagues me worse than any. 1819Shelley Cenci v. ii. 110 That stern yet piteous look, those solemn tones, Wound worse than torture.
b. As a diminuent, with verbs of liking, trusting, praising, pleasing, etc.: In a lesser or lower degree, less, less well. Similarly worse at ease, less well at ease.
c897ælfred Gregory's Past. C. xix. 143 Ðylæs hira lufu aslaciᵹe, & he him ðe wirs liciᵹe. a1122O.E. Chron. an. 1043 (Laud MS.) Se arcebiscop wende þæt hit sum oðer mann abiddan wolde..þe he his wyrs truwude and uðe. a1300Cursor M. 9035 Þe wick er neuer þe worthier, Þat man tell quat þe dughti er, Ne þe gode þe wers to prais, Quat-so men o þe wick sais. 1362Langl. P. Pl. A. iii. 168 Nay, lord, quaþ þat ladi, leef him þe worse, Whon ȝe witen witerliche wher þe wrong lihþ. c1530Redford Wyt & Sci. 835 (Manly) Ye, and I lyke him never the wurs. 1592Shakes. Ven. & Ad. 774 Your treatise makes me like you worse and worse. 1600― A.Y.L. iii. ii. 25 The more one sickens, the worse at ease he is. 1607― Cor. v. ii. 75 The glorious Gods..loue thee no worse then thy old Father Menenius do's. 1607Harington in Nugæ Ant. (1804) II. 250 Even Augustus was the worse beloved for appointing an ill man to his successor.
4. worse than used before an adj. (n., vb.) as a form of pejorative comparison. Cf. more C. (adv.) 5.
13..Gosp. Nicod. 741 (MS. G.) Ȝe wers [v.rr. wors, wars] þan wode, how dar ȝe negh þis stede? 1588Shakes. Tit. A. ii. iii. 175 Oh keepe me from their worse then killing lust. 1605― Lear i. ii. 82 Brutish Villaine; worse then brutish. 1607― Timon iii. v. 106 I'm worse then mad. 1671Milton P.R. iii. 419 Besides thir other worse then heathenish crimes. ― Samson 893 By worse than hostile deeds. 1799Wordsw. Ruth 164 O Ruth! I have been worse than dead. 1810― Sonn., ‘Yet, yet, Biscayans’ 3 Else 'twere worse than vain To gather round the bier these festal shows. 1867A. T. Drane Christian Schools II. vi. 253 Among the scanty relics that escaped the hands of these worse than Vandals. 1867A. J. Wilson Vashti xx, To feed the worse-than-Ugolino hunger of never-satiated scandal and gossip. 1897Westm. Gaz. 18 Jan. 3/2 He deliberately chose to worse than waste his opportunities and his talents.
5. Used parenthetically or conjunctionally to introduce an additional clause or sentence containing a further and stronger instance of action which incurs reprobation. Cf. more adv. 6.
1784Cowper Task ii. 21 Thus man devotes his brother, and destroys; And, worse than all, and most to be deplor'd,..Chains him, and tasks him, and exacts his sweat With stripes. 1805Wordsw. Rob Roy's Grave 24 They stir us up against our kind; And worse, against ourselves. 1913G. Murray Euripides vii. 166 He had denied the gods; worse, he had denounced the doings of the gods as evil. 1926H. E. Rollins Gorgeous Gallery p. xvi, Worse still, he has omitted one leaf.
6. Comb., as worse-affected, worse-applied, worse-armed, worse-bodied, worse-born, worse-calculated, worse-disposed, worse-executed, worse-governed, worse-ordered adjs.; also † worse-opinionated a., having a more unfavourable opinion (of); † worse-willing a., less well-disposed; more unwilling.
1617Moryson Itin. ii. 63 It was apparant that either he was growne weaker in iudgement or *worse affected to the Queenes seruice.
1591Sylvester Du Bartas i. ii. 418 Before the rest of my deere Country-men, Of better wit, but *worse-applyed pen.
1829Scott Anne of G. xxviii, If the Lord of Hosts should cast the balance in behalf of the fewer numbers and *worse-armed party.
1590Shakes. Com. Err. iv. ii. 20 Ill fac'd, *worse bodied, shapelesse euery where.
1834H. Lytton Bulwer France I. 92 That ‘great manner,’..by which the old nobility strove to keep up the distinction between themselves and their *worse-born associates.
1817Jas. Mill Brit. India III. vi. i. 50 Parliament was so completely an instrument of bad government, that it was *worse calculated to produce good results than the mere arbitrary will of a King.
1579T. F. Newes fr. North D j b, I am very sure, that many are *wurse disposed, and much more vngodly in high and honorable calling.
1820Q. Mus. Mag. II. 454 Irregular, ill-directed, and *worse-executed rehearsals.
1672Sir W. Temple Ess. Govt. Misc. (1680) 69 Fugitives out of some *worse governed Family.
1642Heylin Hist. Episc. ii. vi. 436 Confessors..who..having suffered much in testimonie of their perseverance, became the *worse-opinionated of those, who had not beene endued with an equall constancie.
a1715South Serm. IV. 366 An ill-inclined Judgment, and *worse-ordered Morals.
1549Coverdale Erasm. Par. 1 Cor. ix. 20–3 That..I might, folowing their mindes, allure them either vnto Christ, or at the least, not make them thereunto *worse willing by displeasing their mindes. 1550Somerset tr. Calvin's Epistle B ij b, But this muste not astonyshe vs, nor make vs wurse willynge or fearefull. 1584R. Scot Discov. Witchcr. ii. ii. (1886) 15 The people would be woorse willing to accuse them; for feare least they worke revenge upon them. |