Example: He was late, and to make matters worse, it started raining.
Definition
"To make matters worse" is an expression used to introduce an additional negative factor that aggravates an already bad situation. For example, it highlights how circumstances deteriorate further beyond the initial problem.
Translations
para empeorar las cosas
tot overmaat van ramp
per empitjorar les coses
pour aggraver les choses
um die Sache noch schlimmer zu machen
Etymology
The phrase "to make matters worse" originates from the combination of the verb 'make' and the noun 'matters,' meaning situations or issues. It has been used in English for centuries to emphasize worsening conditions, often in storytelling or everyday conversation.
Learn to use this expression actively
"To make matters worse" appears in the Vocaplus list "English - General - Idioms and Proverbs - (C1) - set 1", containing 130 commonly used expressions.
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