Worsen

How to spell worsen

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce worsen

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does worsen mean?

1. verbTo make or become worse in quality, condition, or severity.

Worsen in a sentence

• Ignoring the leak will only worsen the damage to the ceiling.

• Her symptoms began to worsen overnight despite the medication.

Where does worsen come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This verb is built on the adjective 'worse', which descends from the Old English 'wiersa', meaning 'more bad' or 'inferior'. That comparative form has deep Germanic roots and is related to words in Old Norse and Old High German that carry the sense of confusion or entanglement, the idea of things becoming tangled and therefore worse. The suffix '-en' is the same native English ending that turns adjectives into verbs of change, as in 'harden', 'darken', and 'lengthen'; it literally means 'to make or become'. So 'worsen' simply means 'to make worse' or 'to become worse'. Interestingly, although 'worse' itself is very old, the verb 'worsen' is a much later creation, appearing in English only around the thirteenth century and not becoming common until far more recently. The single 's' and single 'n' are the only points where a writer might hesitate.

How the word is built

• wors- (from worse, the comparative of bad)
• -en (verb-forming suffix meaning 'to make or become')