- of the poorest quality or lowest standard; worse than any other person or thing of a similar kind
- It was by far the worst speech he had ever made.
- It's not the worst idea I've ever heard.
- What's the worst thing that could happen?
- What she said confirmed my worst fears (= proved they were right).
- This is every parent's worst nightmare.
Word OriginOld English wierresta, wyrresta (adjective), wierst, wyrst (adverb), of Germanic origin; related to worse.
Idioms
See worst in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee worst in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishbe your own worst enemy
- to be the cause of your own problems
- Her indecisiveness makes her her own worst enemy.
- Some dancers become their own worst enemies, criticizing themselves for every imperfection.
come off worst
- to lose a fight, competition, etc. or suffer more compared with others
Check pronunciation:
worst