worsenverb [ I or T ]
uk/ˈwɜː.sən/us/ˈwɝː.sən/C1 to become worse or to make something become worse:
As the company's financial problems worsened, several directors resigned.
The continued supply of arms to the region will only worsen the situation.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Deteriorating and making worse
- a step backwards idiom
- a turn of the screw idiom
- add
- afford
- aggravate
- backslide
- compound
- decline
- degrade
- disintegrate
- dog
- downgrade
- downhill
- exacerbate
- regress
- retrograde
- retrogress
- run yourself down
- seed
- slip
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worsening
adjective uk/ˈwɜː.sən.ɪŋ/us/ˈwɝː.sən.ɪŋ/
the country's worsening political situation
worsening
noun [ S ] uk/ˈwɜː.sən.ɪŋ/us/ˈwɝː.sən.ɪŋ/
Worryingly, the survey shows a worsening of child health.