to make matters worse
Used to introduce an additional problem or negative detail that worsens an already bad situation.
Built from the literal idea of “matters” meaning circumstances or problems; it became a common set phrase used as a transition to add a further negative detail (“what’s more, it got worse”).
Negative, often used as a transitional aside to add another bad detail. Common in speech and writing, typically set off by commas. Use when the added fact clearly worsens the situation.
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We missed the train, and to make matters worse, it started raining.
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The server crashed during the demo; to make matters worse, we hadn’t saved the latest file.
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I forgot my wallet, and to make matters worse, my phone battery died.
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She injured her ankle, and to make matters worse, her flight was canceled.
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The rent went up this year, and to make matters worse, utilities cost more too.
Often used parenthetically: “..., and to make matters worse, ...” or sentence-initial: “To make matters worse, ...”. Commonly fixed in this form; variants include “to make things worse.” Can be inflected in literal use (“made matters worse”), but the set connector is usually the infinitive.
- to make things worse
- worsen the situation
- compound the problem
- add insult to injury
- to make matters better
- to improve the situation
- to make things better