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
Adding to the district’s woes, information released Thursday shows that the district is worse off in more ways than was previously understood because of errors made in its multi-year budget projections.
—
Jennah Pendleton, Sacbee.com, 30 Jan. 2026
But that smaller group — the people who get in a car crash or are diagnosed with cancer — could be much worse off, Anderson says.
—Lisa Jarvis, Twin Cities, 30 Jan. 2026
Polling at the end of his first year back in the White House showed a strong majority of independents believing the country was worse off, with the economy driving the unhappiness.
—Chris Smith, Vanity Fair, 29 Jan. 2026
And after taking into account tariffs and higher ACA insurance costs, even many of those families will be worse off as a result of other recent policy changes.
—Howard Gleckman, Forbes.com, 28 Jan. 2026
But none of us was worse off than the boy on the fridge.
—Literary Hub, 21 Jan. 2026
Budget airlines are even worse off, with carriers like Spirit allowing for just 28 inches of leg room.
—Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 19 Jan. 2026
Consumers could comfortably take on new or more debt at 10% interest, only to be worse off when rates reset to 20% or higher.
—Ryley Amond, CNBC, 12 Jan. 2026
In fact, the Nexford University report highlights that many are actually worse off.
—Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 11 Jan. 2026
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Jennah Pendleton, Sacbee.com, 30 Jan. 2026
But that smaller group — the people who get in a car crash or are diagnosed with cancer — could be much worse off, Anderson says.
—Lisa Jarvis, Twin Cities, 30 Jan. 2026
Polling at the end of his first year back in the White House showed a strong majority of independents believing the country was worse off, with the economy driving the unhappiness.
—Chris Smith, Vanity Fair, 29 Jan. 2026
And after taking into account tariffs and higher ACA insurance costs, even many of those families will be worse off as a result of other recent policy changes.
—Howard Gleckman, Forbes.com, 28 Jan. 2026
But none of us was worse off than the boy on the fridge.
—Literary Hub, 21 Jan. 2026
Budget airlines are even worse off, with carriers like Spirit allowing for just 28 inches of leg room.
—Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 19 Jan. 2026
Consumers could comfortably take on new or more debt at 10% interest, only to be worse off when rates reset to 20% or higher.
—Ryley Amond, CNBC, 12 Jan. 2026
In fact, the Nexford University report highlights that many are actually worse off.
—Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 11 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Worse off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/worse%20off. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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