further worse

USAGE SUMMARY

'further worse' is not a standard phrase and is not considered correct in written English.
A more common phrase would be 'even worse'. For example: "The forecast showed that the weather was going to get bad, but it ended up being even worse than expected."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

3 human-written examples

$89,000 in debt later, I ended up being even further worse off.

Huffington Post

With hierarchical clustering the performance is further worse since ASWs obtained for 3 and 4 clusters are comparable, or even higher than those obtained for 2 clusters (Fig. 4c).

BMC Systems Biology

Following the collapse of USSR, the already poorly maintained health infrastructure got further worse, supplies became increasingly problematic, and the salaries of health professionals lost most of their purchasing power, while the benefits ensured by the previous generous welfare system were progressively reduced.

Health Research Policy and Systems

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

57 human-written examples

Tom van de Wiele, a consultant at the information security firm F-Secure, said: "The most disappointing part of this hack is the fact that the amount of data stolen is one of the bigger ones of the last few years and further made worse by the fact that the compromise had been going on for at least four years.

The Guardian

This development is further made worse by ongoing retail money and investments being pulled out of the stock market in addition to the sovereign wealth funds and oil producers playing a substantially smaller role in incoming capital.

Forbes

This contributed further to worse health and well-being, as also indicated in other studies [ 7, 9].

BMC Public Health

Even worse, further research suggested that "archaeoraptor" was a composite of at least two different fossils.

The Guardian

Once they are in pain, they will be treated, coached, instructed or go on-line to find "solutions", which often prevent healing or worse, further degrade their condition.

Harvard University

Without adequate refuge provision, women experiencing domestic violence will be faced with a stark choice: flee to live rough on the streets with their children, or remain with their abuser and risk further violence – or worse.

The Guardian

WASHINGTON — A top health insurance company executive told a Congressional committee on Wednesday that higher premiums were justified by soaring medical costs, and warned that pending legislation could make the problem worse, further driving up costs for young, healthy people.

The New York Times - Health

Already bad corruption could get worse, further crimping economic growth.

Forbes

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Avoid using the phrase "further worse" in formal writing. Instead, opt for grammatically correct alternatives like "even worse" or "increasingly bad" to maintain clarity and credibility.

Common error

The phrase "further worse" incorrectly combines the comparative adverb "further" with the adjective "worse". To avoid this error, use "even worse" or rephrase the sentence to use "further" correctly, such as "worsening further".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "further worse" attempts to function as an intensifier, indicating a greater degree of negativity. However, as Ludwig AI indicates, this construction is not grammatically correct in standard English.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

50%

Science

50%

Formal & Business

0%

Less common in

Academia

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, while the phrase "further worse" appears in some sources, Ludwig AI considers it grammatically incorrect. It's intended to intensify the idea of something worsening but is better replaced with standard alternatives like ""even worse"" or ""worsening further"". The phrase is rare, and its usage is not recommended in formal writing.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

even worse

Replaces "further worse" with a more standard and grammatically correct phrase to indicate something is deteriorating.

increasingly bad

Emphasizes the progressive nature of the deterioration, suggesting things are getting worse over time.

deteriorating further

Focuses on the worsening condition and its continuation.

getting progressively worse

Highlights the gradual decline in condition or quality.

taking a turn for the worse

Indicates a sudden shift toward a negative condition.

worsening further

Similar to "deteriorating further" but with a stronger emphasis on the act of worsening.

declining further

Focuses on the reduction in quality, quantity, or condition.

spiraling downward

Suggests a rapid and uncontrolled descent into a worse state.

aggravating further

Highlights the act of making something already bad even more severe.

exacerbating the situation

Indicates that something is making an already negative situation even worse.

FAQs

What's a more grammatically sound alternative to "further worse"?

A better option is "even worse", which is a commonly accepted and grammatically correct way to express that a situation has deteriorated.

How can I use "further" and "worse" correctly in the same sentence?

You could say "the situation is "worsening further"" or "the problem declined further," which correctly uses "further" to modify the verb.

Is "further worse" ever considered acceptable in English?

While some sources may use "further worse", it's generally regarded as grammatically incorrect. It's best to avoid it in both formal and informal writing.

What's the difference between "further worse" and ""even worse""?

"Further worse" is non-standard and grammatically questionable. "Even worse" is a common and grammatically correct way to indicate that something is more negative than before.