worser
Worse, with an extra -er for emphasis.
Also called worser'n, wusser.
Updated September 24, 2026
worser pronunciation
/WUR-ser/
Meaning
A double comparative: worse plus -er. Schoolbooks hate it. Mountain talk kept it. Means more bad than whatever you just named. "Worser'n last winter" is the usual shape. Shakespeare used it too, so rural speakers aren't inventing nonsense, they're hanging onto older English.
How folks use it
- “This year's crop looks worser than the drought year.”
- “I felt bad yesterday, but I feel worser today.”
Origin and etymology
From Middle English worse with an added comparative -er, common in the 1500s and 1600s (Shakespeare: "the worser"). Standard English later settled on worse alone. Appalachian and rural Southern speech kept worser as everyday and emphatic talk, often as worser'n for "worse than."
Frequently asked questions
Is worser a real word?
Yes in dialect and older English. Standard writing wants worse. Country talk still says worser.