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Horrible vs Worst - What's the difference?

horrible | worst |

As nouns the difference between horrible and worst

is that horrible is a thing that causes horror; a terrifying thing, particularly a prospective bad consequence asserted as likely to result from an act while worst is something or someone that is the worst.

As adjectives the difference between horrible and worst

is that horrible is causing horror; terrible; shocking while worst is (bad).

As an adverb worst is

in the worst way: most badly, most ill.

As a verb worst is

(archaic|transitive) to make worse.

horrible

English

Noun

(en noun)
  • A thing that causes horror; a terrifying thing, particularly a prospective bad consequence asserted as likely to result from an act.
  • * 1851 , Herman Melville, Moby Dick
    • Here's a carcase. I know not all that may be coming, but be it what it will, I'll go to it laughing. Such a waggish leering as lurks in all your horribles !
  • * 1982 , United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, The Genocide Convention: Hearing Before the Committee on Foreign Relations, United States Senate
    • A lot of the possible horribles conjured up by the people objecting to this convention ignore the plain language of this treaty.
  • * 1991 , Alastair Scott, Tracks Across Alaska: A Dog Sled Journey
    • The pot had previously simmered skate wings, cods' heads, whales, pigs' hearts and a long litany of other horribles .
  • * 2000 , John Dean, CNN interview, January 21, 2000:
    • I'm trying to convince him that the criminal behavior that's going on at the White House has to end. And I give him one horrible after the next. I just keep raising them. He sort of swats them away.
  • * 2001 , Neil K. Komesar, Law's Limits: The Rule of Law and the Supply and Demand of Rights
    • Many scholars have demonstrated these horribles and contemplated significant limitations on class actions.
  • A person wearing a comic or grotesque costume in a parade of horribles.

    • Adjective

    (en-adj)
  • Causing horror; terrible; shocking.
  • *
  • *:Such a scandal as the prosecution of a brother for forgery—with a verdict of guilty—is a most truly horrible , deplorable, fatal thing. It takes the respectability out of a family perhaps at a critical moment, when the family is just assuming the robes of respectability:it is a black spot which all the soaps ever advertised could never wash off.
  • *, comment=The New Yorker, March 19
    • , passage=Strangers fainted dead away at the sight of the Laughing Man's horrible face. Acquaintances shunned him.}}
  • *, author=(Ray Bradbury)
    • , passage=Some of us have had plastic surgery on our faces and fingerprints. Right now we have a horrible job; we're waiting for the war to begin and, as quickly, end.}}
  • Tremendously wrong or errant.
  • *{{quote-book, year=1933, title=(My Life and Hard Times), author=(James Thurber)
    • , passage=Her own mother lived the latter years of her life in the horrible suspicion that electricity was dripping invisibly all over the house.}}

    Synonyms

    * See also

    Related terms

    * horrific * horrify * horror * horrendous

    References

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    worst

    English

    Adjective

    (head)
  • (bad)
  • # Most inferior; doing the least good.
  • I think putting oil on a burn is the worst thing you can do.
  • # Most unfavorable.
  • That's the worst news I've had all day.
  • # Most harmful or severe.
  • The worst storm we had last winter knocked down our power lines.
  • # Most ill.
  • I'm feeling really ill — the worst I've felt all week.
  • # (Used with the definite article and an implied noun): something that is worst.
  • None of these photographs of me are good, but this one is definitely the worst .

    • Synonyms

    * (most ill) (nonstandard)

    Antonyms

    * best

    Derived terms

    * worstness * fear the worst * turn for the worst

    Related terms

    * worse

    Noun

    (head)
  • something or someone that is the worst
    • (Something that is worst) * French: * Khmer: * Polish: (trans-mid) * Portuguese: (trans-bottom)

    Adverb

    (head)
  • In the worst way: most badly, most ill.
    • My sore leg hurts worst when it's cold and rainy.
    This is the worst -written essay I've ever seen.
    She's the worst -informed of the lot.

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • (archaic) To make worse.
  • (dated) To grow worse; to deteriorate.
  • * (rfdate) Jane Austen:
    • Anne haggard, Mary coarse, every face in the neighbourhood worsting .
  • (rare) To outdo or defeat, especially in battle.
  • * South
    • The Philistines were worsted by the captivated ark.

    Quotations

    * (English Citations of "worst")

    Anagrams

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