worst-case

[ wurst-keys ]

adjective
  1. of the worst possibility; being the worst result that could be expected under the circumstances: a worst-case scenario.

Origin of worst-case

1
First recorded in 1960–65

Words Nearby worst-case

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use worst-case in a sentence

  • Now she turned to the worst case on her list, and made it her chief care.

    A Houseful of Girls | Sarah Tytler
  • She took a pull of brandy large enough to ward off the worst case of pneumonia and then passed the bottle to Bag Ears.

  • Archibius said that, even in the worst case, it could not render the present state of affairs darker.

    Cleopatra, Complete | Georg Ebers
  • This was the worst case of buck fever that I have ever had and I do not care to ever experience a case of that kind again.

    Fifty Years a Hunter and Trapper | Eldred Nathaniel Woodcock
  • The worst case of all occurs in the department of the affections.

    Sermons Preached at Brighton | Frederick W. Robertson

British Dictionary definitions for worst case

worst case

noun
    • a situation in which the most unfavourable conditions prevail

    • (as modifier): a worst-case projection of a massive accident

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012