worrying /'wAri-ii)I'w3ai-/ [ad/I worrying events, changes etc make you feel worried: The increase in homelessness among teenagers is very worrying, a worrying time/week/year etc (= a time when you are worried) It's been a worrying few weeks for all of us since Jan lost her job.
stressful /'stresfcl/ |ad/] a stressful job or situation makes you feel worried and tired all the time, for example because you have too many problems or too much work to do: Looking after small children can be very stressful.
make sb nervous /,meik (sb) mi'vas/to
make someone feel nervous and unable to relax: Stop watching me when I'm trying to work - you're making me nervous.
|] a feeling of being worried
anxiety /aeq'zaiati; [n U] the feeling you have when you are very worried that something bad has happened or is going to happen: After weeks of anxiety, I finally heard that I would not need an operation.
+ about anxiety about the high levels of pollution in the atmosphere
stress /stres/ [n U] the feeling of being worried all the time, for example about work or personal problems, which can make you ill or very tired: Her financial problems were causing her a lot of stress.
stress-related illnesses (-caused by stress)
be under stress (=be feeling stress) He's been under a lot of stress at work lately.
concern /kan's3:rn/ [n U] a worried feeling - use this especially when many people are worried about a problem that affects everyone: The shortage of water is beginning to cause widespread concern. + about/over Concern over the President's health is increasing.
В something that makes you feel worried
worry /'wAri||'w3n-i/ [n C] something that makes you feel worried: It is important to find someone to discuss your worries with.
sb's mam/biggest worry (=the thing
someone worries about most) Her main worry was how the divorce would affect the children.
plural worries
hang-up /'haeq лр/ [n C) informal if you have a hang-up about something, for example about your appearance or your relationships with other people, you feel worried and embarrassed about it, and this makes you feel less confident: They wanted their children to grow up without any hang-ups.
+ about 1 don't know why she has such a hang-up about her nose - it looks OK to me.
not worried any more
relieved /ri'liivd/ \adj\ feeling relaxed again because you do not need to worry about something that you worried about before: We were very relieved when they phoned to tell us they were safe. + that Tim was relieved that the teacher didn't ask him to read out his answer, relieved to hear/learnjfind/see I was relieved to hear that I didn t have to have an operation.
re lie/ /n'liif/ [n singular/Ul the pleasant feeling you have when you no longer have to worry about something with re lie/ Everyone smiled with relief as the plane landed safely. to sb's relief (=making them feel relieved) To Sam's relief, nobody asked to check his ticket.
it is a re lie/ to know/hear/see/find It was
such a relief to know that the children were OK.
a great relief The announcement said that no jobs would be lost, which was a great relief to everyone.
WORSE
opposite BETTER
see also bao, improve
worse
worse /w3:rs/ [ad;] more unpleasant, annoying, bad, etc, or of a lower standard or quality than someone or something else + than Conditions in the prison were worse than anything I had seen before. I I wish you'd stop complaining - you're worse than my motherl even worse (=worse than something that is very bad) Duncan's handwriting is even worse than his sister's. I a terrible script and even worse acting a lot worse/much worse The traffic is a lot worse after five.
make sth worse I tried to fix the computer myself, but that just made it
worse.
ROt as good /.not oz 'gud/ of a lower standard or quality than something else: Last year's sales figures were excellent but this year's weren't as good.
+ as The computing facilities here aren't as good as the ones in my last school. not nearly as good (=much less good) Pop music today isn't nearly as good as in the sixties and seventies.
Worse means 'more bad than something that is bad'. Not as good means less good than something that is good'. Compare these sentences: The food was awful, and the service was even worse. I It's an enjoyable book, but it's not as good as her last one.
inferior m'fma1"/ [adj] formal less well made than something else, or less good at doing something than someone else: Their furniture is certainly cheaper, but it's of inferior quality. + to Old Mr Carter was convinced that women doctors were inferior to men.
worst /w3irst/ [adj only before noun] worse than anything else or worse than at any time before: I think he's the worst teacher in the school. I The storms in 1987 were the worst we had ever known. I No, don't tell the police about it - that's the worst thing you could do. by far the worst (=much worse than any other) It's by far the worst neighborhood in the whole city.
to become worse
get worse /,get 'w3irs/ if a situation gets worse, it becomes more difficult or more unpleasant: The situation in Bosnia was getting worse. I The pain continued to get worse, so I called a doctor, get worse and worse The traffic on this road is getting worse and worse.
deteriorate /di'ti^riareit/ [и I] to gradually
A
Deteriorate is more formal than get worse