Synonyms of worsen
63 similar words · 5 opposite words
Another word for worsen is suffer. Other synonyms of worsen are exacerbate, uplift and pejorate. The opposite of worsen is better.
Synonyms and similar words for worsen
verbTo make worse; to impair.
- aggravate
- exacerbateTo make worse (a problem, bad situation, negative feeling, etc.).
- degrade
- deteriorate
- adulterate
- alloy
- canker
- contaminate
- corrupt
- debase
- debauch
- defile
- deflower
- downgrade
- envenom
- exasperate
- infect
- impair
- leaven
- pejorateTo become or make (something) worse; to deteriorate, to worsen.
- set back
- stain
- sophisticate
- upliftTo aggravate; to increase.
- vitiate
- weaken
verbTo become worse; to get worse.
- baddenTo become or make bad (all senses).
- decline
- go downhillTo worsen or degenerate.
- go southTo become unfavorable; to decrease; to take a turn for the worse.
verbMore synonyms
- atrophy
- break down
- degenerate
- devolveTo degenerate; to break down.
- confound
- fade
- fall off
- go bad
- go leftTo take a turn for the worse, to go horribly wrong.
- go off
- go pear-shapedTo go awry; to go wrong.
- go sideways
- go to hell
- go to pot
- go to seed
- go to the dogsTo decline or deteriorate shockingly.
- go wrongTo worsen; to fail or go amiss; to have a bad outcome.
- lapse
- molderA surname.
- retrograde
- sufferTo become worse.
- spend
- sweal
- shrivel
- tabefy
- wither
- wither awayTo atrophy, or waste away.
- wane
- wanseTo wane; waste, waste away; pine; wither.
- crack archaic
Opposite of worsen
verbTo make worse; to impair.
verbMore antonyms
Meaning of worsen
- verb To make worse; to impair.
- verb To become worse; to get worse.
- verb To get the better of; to worst.
worsen in other languages
Questions about synonyms of worsen
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: worsen (page history and authors) and the entries of the words listed. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws grouped the synonyms and antonyms by meaning and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Cite this page: “Synonyms of worsen.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/synonyms/worsen. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.