Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

worst-case scenario

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.10 in modern English

Syllables: worst--case s-ce-nario
IPA

24

Scrabble Score

17

Letters

5

Syllables

10

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Any situation or conclusion which could not be any worse; the worst possible outcome.

adv

At worst, worst comes to worst, in the worst-case scenario.

Informal

Example Sentences

"Everyone is rightly planning for the worst-case scenario. Across Europe, that worst-case scenario is already playing out."
"Here’s the worst case scenario: You’ve just wasted your time on a few meaningless Tinder messages and not an actual date—or heaven forbid, a full-blown relationship."
"I'll get the ends of my hair dyed. Worst-case scenario, I can cut them off."

Usage

Informal

Inflected Forms

worst-case scenarios (plural)

Antonyms

best-case scenario at best

Questions

What does worst-case scenario mean?: Any situation or conclusion which could not be any worse; the worst possible outcome.

How to pronounce worst-case scenario

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