in the worst way

English

Pronunciation

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Adverb

in the worst way (not comparable)

1. (chiefly US and Canada, idiomatic) Urgently; desperately; to an extreme degree.

   I need a drink of water in the worst way.

   • 2008 March 17, Kady O'Malley, “Wake me up when it’s — what’s the opposite of ‘over’?”, in Macleans, Canada, retrieved 27 December 2016:

     Man, I need a life in the worst way.

   • 2010 February 11, T. Coraghessan Boyle, “Excerpt: Wild Child”, in New York Times, retrieved 27 December 2016:

     I wanted this to work in the worst way because my reputation was on the line here. . . .

   • 2012 May 25, Hunter Felt, “NBA playoffs preview”, in Guardian, UK, retrieved 27 December 2016:

     Stern as well as assorted television executives needed a game seven in the worst way, and "the worst way" might be how they're getting one.

2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see in,‎ the,‎ worst,‎ way.

Synonyms

• something awful

Further reading

• “in the worst way”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.