worsening

Verb

worsen (third-person singular simple present worsens, present participle worsening, simple past and past participle worsened)

1. (transitive) To make worse; to impair.
   • Near-synonyms: aggravate, exacerbate; degrade, deteriorate; see also Thesaurus:aggravate

   Synonyms:

   aggravate, exacerbate, degrade, deteriorate, adulterate, alloy, canker, contaminate, corrupt, debase

   Antonyms:

   ameliorate, improve, meliorate, mitigate

2. (intransitive) To become worse; to get worse.
   • The weather has worsened.

   Synonyms:

   badden, decline, deteriorate, go downhill, go south

   Antonyms:

   improve

3. (obsolete, transitive) To get the better of; to worst.

   Synonyms:

   better, defeat, overpower