| Library / English Dictionary |
WORST
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
The weakest effort or poorest achievement one is capable of
Example:
it was the worst he had ever done on a test
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Hypernyms ("worst" is a kind of...):
attempt; effort; endeavor; endeavour; try (earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something)
Antonym:
best (the supreme effort one can make)
Derivation:
worst ((superlative of 'bad') most wanting in quality or value or condition)
Sense 2
Meaning:
The greatest damage or wickedness of which one is capable
Example:
so pure of heart that his worst is another man's best
Classified under:
Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects
Hypernyms ("worst" is a kind of...):
evil; evilness (the quality of being morally wrong in principle or practice)
Derivation:
worst ((superlative of 'bad') most wanting in quality or value or condition)
Sense 3
Meaning:
The least favorable outcome
Example:
the worst that could happen
Classified under:
Hypernyms ("worst" is a kind of...):
final result; outcome; result; resultant; termination (something that results)
Derivation:
worst ((superlative of 'bad') most wanting in quality or value or condition)
II. (adjective)
Sense 1
Meaning:
(superlative of 'bad') most wanting in quality or value or condition
Example:
the worst weather of the year
Classified under:
Similar:
bottom (the lowest rank)
last; last-place; lowest (lowest in rank or importance)
pessimal; pessimum (of an organism's environment; least favorable for survival)
Also:
bad (having undesirable or negative qualities)
inferior (of low or inferior quality)
Domain usage:
superlative (an exaggerated expression (usually of praise))
Antonym:
best ((superlative of 'good') having the most positive qualities)
Derivation:
worst (the weakest effort or poorest achievement one is capable of)
worst (the greatest damage or wickedness of which one is capable)
worst (the least favorable outcome)
III. (verb)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Defeat thoroughly
Example:
He mopped up the floor with his opponents
Synonyms:
mop up; pip; rack up; whip; worst
Classified under:
Verbs of fighting, athletic activities
Hypernyms (to "worst" is one way to...):
beat; beat out; crush; shell; trounce; vanquish (come out better in a competition, race, or conflict)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Sentence example:
The fighter managed to worst his opponent
IV. (adverb)
Sense 1
Meaning:
To the highest degree of inferiority or badness
Example:
the worst dressed person present
Classified under:
Context examples:
It's a pity, but nothing goes right this week, and Pip has had the worst of the experiment.
(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)
He could not do worse: he ruined his health and his estate amongst the worst men and the worst women.
(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)
It was the worst hurt he had ever known.
(White Fang, by Jack London)
But this was not the worst of it.
(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)
"We know the worst now," he said.
(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)
A question about an individual's difficulty understanding at its worst.
(Difficulty Understanding at its Worst, NCI Thesaurus)
A question about an individual's disturbed sleep at its worst.
(Disturbed Sleep at its Worst, NCI Thesaurus)
Let the worst come to the worst, it's little I care.
(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)
A question about an individual's pain at its worst.
(Pain at its Worst, NCI Thesaurus)
It was an insurance against the worst.
(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
