tuː meɪk ˈmætərz wɜːrs
General
neutral
beginner
- Literally:
- Making a situation more severe
What does "to make matters worse" mean?
- In addition to existing problems
- Compounding an already bad situation
Examples
- We were late, and to make matters worse, it started raining.
- He lost his job, and to make matters worse, his car broke down.
- To make matters worse, she forgot her wallet.
Origin
Simple English expression for escalating problems. Natural phrase that's been used for centuries.
How to use it
Transitional phrase introducing additional bad news. Very common in storytelling.
Similar expressions
adding insult to injury
on top of that
what's more
Opposites
on the bright side
to make things better
Related idioms
- actions speak louder than words
What people do is more important than what they say
- better safe than sorry
It's better to be careful and prevent problems than to take risks
- so far so good
Things have gone well up to now
- easier said than done
Something is more difficult to do than to talk about
- make a long story short
To summarize or get to the point
- rule of thumb
A practical principle or guideline
Use it in a practice answer
Try "to make matters worse" in a CELPIP-style Speaking or Writing task. The AI feedback tells you whether your word choice worked.