From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishworstworst1 /wɜːst $ wɜːrst/ ●●● S2 W1 adjective [the superlative of bad] 1 [only before noun]WORSE worse than anything or anyone else → best This is the worst recession for fifty years. My worst fear was that we would run out of food. What is the worst possible thing that can happen?2 → be your own worst enemy3 → come off worstGRAMMAR: ComparativesThe superlative form of bad is worst: It was the worst film I have ever seen. ✗Don’t say: It was the most worst film I have ever seen. | It was the worstest film I have ever seen.
Examples from the Corpus
worst• UN workers were withdrawn from the western areas, where the worst bloodshed has occurred.• The doctor said it was one of the worst cases of food poisoning he'd ever seen.• Then you would know when you saw the chap in the 1984 Cortina he was the company's worst driver.• But only one record of last year's storms - the worst for years - is in the public domain.• In my opinion, that's the worst movie of all time.• This is the worst musical I've ever been to.• It's by far the worst neighborhood in the whole city.• On the eve of the council the worst of horrors was revealed.• I was always the worst student in the class.• The year following the elimination of the distribution centers was, by employee consensus, the worst the company had ever endured.• First thing in the morning is by far the worst time to ask Dad a favour.worst possible• To make Scott design a building in the classical style was the worst possible course.• The worst possible line is to ignore the arrears.• Her cousins considered the worst possible punishment a day without Margarett Sargent.• For a moment, I imagined the best possible to the worst possible reply.• It is the worst possible scenario.• All in the worst possible taste.• Did they unwittingly do the worst possible thing in response, thus altering a fragile balance for ever?• What is the worst possible thing that could happen?worstworst2 ●●● S2 W3 noun 1 → the worst2 → the worst of something3 → expect/fear the worst4 → get/have the worst of it5 → at (the) worst6 → do your/his/her/their worst7 → if the worst comes to the worstworstworst3 adverb [the superlative of badly] 1 WORSEmost badly → best Aid is being sent to areas that have been worst affected by the earthquake. the worst-dressed man in the office2 → worst of allExamples from the Corpus
worst• Our staff who were older felt it worst.• After Frankfurt, the cities worst affected by mob violence are Hamburg, Berlin and Munich.• Chris is the worst-dressed man in the office.• The tobacconist shops fared worst, hit by the fall in shopper-numbers on high streets.• It was the worst written book I've ever read.Origin worst1 Old English wierresta, wyrsta 