verschlimmbessern
/fɛɐ̯ˈʃlɪmbɛsɐn/
verb
C1
der (masc.) die (fem.) das (neut.)
Underline = a spelling pattern that usually signals that gender.
Forms
- present
- verschlimmbessert
- past
- verschlimmbesserte
- perfect
- verschlimmbessert
Meaning
-
to make something worse by trying to improve it
Built from verschlimmern (to worsen) + verbessern (to improve).
Made of
- verschlimmern to worsen
- verbessern to improve
Practice
1 What does verschlimmbessern mean?
to make something worse by trying to improve it
2 Fill the gap: Mit seiner Reparatur hat er das Problem nur ___.
Full sentence: Mit seiner Reparatur hat er das Problem nur verschlimmbessert. (With his repair, he only made the problem worse while trying to fix it.)
3 Which fingerprint chart matches verschlimmbessern?
verschlimmbessern: neutral register, academic frequency, general domain, neutral connotation.
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