made worse

VERB

worsen a situation

Synonyms

WEAK

add insult to injury aggravate exacerbate fan the flames intensify irritate rub salt into the wound twist the knife in the wound worsen

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

This problem is made worse by ongoing workforce shortages in transport, warehousing, and public health inspection.

From Science Daily • Apr. 5, 2026

Her mother said the whole process was traumatic for her and was made worse by the fact she was away from home.

From BBC • Mar. 15, 2026

This is only made worse by the fact that “everything in North America is so expensive.”

From MarketWatch • Mar. 14, 2026

Cuba has been going through its worst crisis since the collapse of the Soviet Union, primarily because of decades of economic mismanagement, made worse by the Covid epidemic, which decimated its tourism industry.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 5, 2026

This predicament was made worse for Hoover when Maytag abruptly abandoned ship and seized Penelope as his partner.

From "The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: Book I: The Mysterious Howling" by Maryrose Wood