Difference between Worse and Worst
So, follow the paragraphs below to get to know the major
difference between Worse and Worst as well as their usage in the
sentences. While the examples will help you get a better understanding of the Worse
& Worst, and subsequently you will be able to bring them in your colloquial
speaking.
You should probably know that in English like other
languages we use certain degrees of adjectives like positive, comparative &
superlative in accordance with the situation. So, before we go ahead, you should
keep in mind that Worse and Worst are the comparative and superlative
degrees of the adjective, Bad respectively.
|
Positive |
Comparative |
Superlative |
|
Bad |
Worse (than) |
(the) Worst |
So, let’s understand the meaning and usage of Worse &
Worse and scrutinize the major differences between these two words, Worse
and Worst.
Worse
Definition
The word Worse is an adjective, that means ‘inferior
to another in terms of quality, desirability, or condition’. In other words, Worse
gives the meaning of something which has a lower quality or is less attractive
comparatively.
Uses
Worse is a comparative degree of the word Bad.
It is used to compare the characteristics of two things in terms of their quality,
durability, desirability, and so on.
Between two: As the Worse is used to differentiate
the quality or condition of two things, it appears between those two things
which might be two objects, concepts, places even people, for instance,
According
to most of the students, the mathematics subject is worse than science
one.
Betty’s car seems worse than Emily’s car.
Experts
say that smoking is worse than drinking for the health.
Grammatical structure – using with than: Since
Worse comes to make a comparison between two or more things, than
always comes with Worse to define the comparison, for instance,
I feel hot coffee
is worse than cold coffee.
In the above sentence, hot coffee is one thing which
is being compared with cold coffee, which is another thing, and to
do it so, Worse is being used along with than.
Remember it is not necessary that the comparison can only take
place between two words, rather you can compare more than one, and in this case,
you have to take comparing things as a single entity. For example,
The last movie show
is worse than the other three we watched today.
In this sentence, the three movie shows are being compared with
the last one, and they function as a single entity, however, still these three
being compared.
Without than: since the word Worse
gives the meaning of something which has lower quality or inferior to another,
it is also used just to stipulate of being deterioration of something like situation
or something else. In this case, than doesn’t appear directly in
the sentence but is assumed hidden in the meaning. For instance,
My health is getting worse
by the time.
Our financial condition is worse
now.
In the above example, than is implied in the
meaning as you can see in the first sentence, the health has become worse than it
was earlier; while in the next sentence, the financial condition is not as good as it was before.
Worst
Definition
The Worst is an adjective, that means most inferior
in quality, value, or condition. In other words, Worst gives the
meaning of something which has the highest degree of inferiority or badness.
Uses
The word Worst is a superlative degree of Bad.
Worst is used to denote the extreme degree of the inferiority of something
among others. In simple terms, it can be said that Worst is used
to define an object, place, concept, people which has the lowest characteristic
than others.
Comparison with all others: Worst is used to
make a comparison of something which has the highest level of badness, while others are
better (not necessarily one, two, three, etc.) than that thing at some
degree or point, for instance,
The pizza made by me is the worst
of all in my family.
I feel Biology is the worst
subject.
Grammatical structure – using after the: Since
Worst is used to determine the highest level of badness or
inferiority out of others, the is always prefixed to Worst,
for instance,
John’s old scooter is the worst
of all vehicles in the street.
My new car’s average is the
worst I have ever experienced.
As Worst comes to make a comparison of something
with others in the extreme degree of badness, it is not necessary to mention
the compared entities outright in the sentence, thus, the worst thing simply can
be determined alone in the sentence while the comparison is implied in the
meaning, for instance,
My warden is the worst lady.
My dad’s car has the worst
sound.
In the above two examples, the warden is being compared to
all women; in the next one, the car’s sound is being compared to all other
sounds.
Worse vs. Worst
- Worse is a comparative degree of the word Bad, while the word Worst is a superlative degree of Bad.
- Worse gives the meaning of something which has a lower quality or is less attractive in comparison with others. On the other hand, Worst is used to denote the extreme degree of the inferiority of something among others.
- Worse always comes with than either direct or indirect. On the contrary, the is always prefixed to Worst in the sentences.
Hope by now you have learnt the difference between Worse and Worst. If you still have a doubt, you can write us in the comment box. We'll try our best to explain in further details.
