worse off
adjective
1
: having less money and possessions : less wealthy
He was worse off financially than he was before.
2
: in a worse position
If you quit school, you will be worse off.
Examples of worse off in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In the long run, this may actually make parents even worse off because those sectors have have no obligation at all to serve students with special needs.
—
Joshua Cowen, The Conversation, 17 Oct. 2025
Many were even worse off than the one in Pecos.
—Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2025
Some are worse off than others, like the 0-6 New York Jets, but everyone is still technically alive.
—James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Oct. 2025
Allen said the world is worse off without Keaton's presence.
—David K. Li, NBC news, 13 Oct. 2025
This generation could be worse off.
—Jayson Buford, Rolling Stone, 30 Sep. 2025
On the other hand, scholars have found countries governed by populists are worse off.
—Matt Egan, CNN Money, 22 Sep. 2025
Might Protect Against Heart Disease and Stroke On top of cholesterol's effects on the body, a 2018 study found that people who eat eggs aren't worse off than those who don't.
—Amanda MacMillan, Health, 9 Sep. 2025
The nation has chosen to treat artificial intelligence not as a tool for maximizing any single metric, but as a medium for exploring Pareto improvements — changes that make some parties better off without making others worse off.
—Cornelia C. Walther, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
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Joshua Cowen, The Conversation, 17 Oct. 2025
Many were even worse off than the one in Pecos.
—Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2025
Some are worse off than others, like the 0-6 New York Jets, but everyone is still technically alive.
—James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Oct. 2025
Allen said the world is worse off without Keaton's presence.
—David K. Li, NBC news, 13 Oct. 2025
This generation could be worse off.
—Jayson Buford, Rolling Stone, 30 Sep. 2025
On the other hand, scholars have found countries governed by populists are worse off.
—Matt Egan, CNN Money, 22 Sep. 2025
Might Protect Against Heart Disease and Stroke On top of cholesterol's effects on the body, a 2018 study found that people who eat eggs aren't worse off than those who don't.
—Amanda MacMillan, Health, 9 Sep. 2025
The nation has chosen to treat artificial intelligence not as a tool for maximizing any single metric, but as a medium for exploring Pareto improvements — changes that make some parties better off without making others worse off.
—Cornelia C. Walther, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Worse off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/worse%20off. Accessed 24 Oct. 2025.
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