Synonyms and antonyms of To make something worse in British Thesaurus

worsen (verb)

to become worse, or to make something worse

compound (verb)

to make a problem or difficult situation worse

escalate (verb)

to become much worse or more serious, or to make something do this

aggravate (verb)

to make something bad become worse, especially a situation or a medical condition

inflame (verb)

to make a situation worse by making people more angry or excited

exacerbate (verb)

formal to make a problem become worse

do more harm than good ()

to make a situation worse instead of better

make matters/things worse ()

used for talking about something that makes a bad situation worse

add fuel to the fire/flames ()

to make a bad situation even worse by saying or doing something that makes someone angry

come/bring something to a head ()

if a situation comes to a head, or if you bring it to a head, it suddenly becomes worse

add insult to injury ()

to make a bad situation even worse, especially by treating someone very badly

be stretching something ()

to make something seem better or worse than it really is

cast a pall over something ()

to create an unpleasant situation or mood

complicate (verb)

to make a medical condition more dangerous or difficult to treat

degrade (verb)

formal to make something worse

disturb (verb)

to do something that stops a place or situation from being pleasant, calm, or peaceful

fuel (verb)

mainly journalism to make something increase or become worse, especially something unpleasant

light a fuse ()

to make a dangerous or angry situation worse

pervert (verb)

to affect something good or right in a negative way so that it becomes bad or wrong

pile on the agony ()

to make a bad situation much worse for someone

pile on the agony ()

to enjoy making a situation seem much worse than it is

pile on the agony ()

to make someone feel even worse than they do, especially by scoring more points against them in a sport

the road to hell is paved with good intentions ()

used for saying that people often make a situation much worse when they intended to make it better

rub salt into the wound ()

to make a bad situation even worse for someone

twist/turn the knife (in the wound) ()

to make a bad situation even worse

vitiate (verb)

very formal to make something less effective or legally acceptable