the worst

IPA/ðə wˈɜːst/
IPA/ðə wˈɜːst/

the worst — 慣用語

1. the single person or thing that is lower in quality, or more unpleasant, than ev

1.慣用語B1
釋義

最差者

在比較中品質最低或最令人不快的那一個

the single person or thing that is lower in quality, or more unpleasant, than every other one being compared.

例句

Of all the hotels Zuri tried, that one by the station was by far the worst.

Zuri 試過的所有旅館裡，車站旁那家是最差的。

by far the worst (emphasising the extreme)

Hana tasted every soup at the fair and said the cold pumpkin one was the worst.

Hana 嚐了園遊會上每一種湯，說那碗冷掉的南瓜湯最糟。

the worst as a noun after a comparison

同義詞
  • the poorest

    stresses low quality rather than how unpleasant something feels

  • the most awful

    informal and stronger; stresses a bad emotional reaction

反義詞
  • the best

    the single highest-ranked or most pleasant one in the same comparison

文法句型

the worst (that ...)

the worst of + plural noun

by far the worst

用法筆記

Always takes 'the' and stands alone as a noun, so no following noun is needed: say 'this is the worst', not 'the worst thing' unless you add a noun on purpose. Distinguish from sense 3, which names the lowest part of one single thing rather than the lowest-ranked item in a group.

常見錯誤

❌It is worst film I have seen.
✅It is the worst film I have seen.
💡the superlative needs 'the' before it.
❌This phone is the worse of the four.
✅This phone is the worst of the four.
💡use 'worst' for three or more, 'worse' only for two.

2. a set of items, or a number of people, that together rank below every other set

2.慣用語B2
釋義

最差的一群

在比較中整體排名墊底的那一群人或物

a set of items, or a number of people, that together rank below every other set being compared.

例句

These leaking pipes are the worst of the materials the builders delivered last week.

這些會漏水的水管，是工人上週送來的材料裡最差的。

the worst of + plural noun (whole group)

Among the city's old buses, the rusty green ones are the worst by a clear margin.

在這座城市的舊公車裡，生鏽的綠色那批明顯是最差的。

the worst standing for a plural set

同義詞
  • the lowest-ranked

    neutral; common in reports and rankings rather than everyday speech

  • the dregs

    informal and negative; suggests what is left after the good ones are taken

反義詞
  • the best

    the group that ranks above all the others being compared

文法句型

the worst of + plural noun

the worst + plural verb

among the worst

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 1: here 'the worst' stands for a whole set of items or people, so it usually takes a plural verb ('the worst are ...') and pairs with an 'of' phrase naming the larger group. Use sense 1 when you mean one single item.

常見錯誤

❌The worst of the apples was thrown away.
✅The worst of the apples were thrown away.
💡when 'the worst' covers many items, use a plural verb.
❌They are worst of all the teams.
✅They are the worst of all the teams.
💡keep 'the' before the superlative.

3. the part of one situation or event that is the most difficult, painful, or hard

3.慣用語B2
釋義

最難熬處

一件事情中最困難、最痛苦或最難度過的部分

the part of one situation or event that is the most difficult, painful, or hard to get through.

例句

Once the fever broke, Gabriel knew the worst of his illness was finally over.

高燒一退，Gabriel 就知道這場病最難熬的階段終於過去了。

the worst of + singular noun (hardest part)

The first steep mile was the worst of the whole mountain climb.

第一英里的陡坡是整段登山路程中最難熬的部分。

the worst of + singular noun (toughest stretch)

同義詞
反義詞
  • the best part

    the most enjoyable or easiest stretch of the same thing

文法句型

the worst of + singular noun

the worst is over / behind us

get the worst of

用法筆記

Object must be one single situation or event (an illness, a journey, a storm), not a set of competing items; that is what sets this sense apart from sense 2. Very common in the fixed pattern 'the worst is over' to say the hardest part has finished.

常見錯誤

❌The hard part is the worst from the trip.
✅The hard part is the worst of the trip.
💡use 'of', not 'from', before the whole event.
❌I have passed worst of it now.
✅I have passed the worst of it now.
💡keep 'the' before 'worst'.