everworsening

Everworsening is a compound English adjective describing a condition or trend that continues to worsen over time, often with accumulating severity. It is typically hyphenated as ever-worsening when used before a noun, as in an ever-worsening drought, although some writers use the two-word form.

In medicine, it can describe diseases with a progressive trajectory despite treatment; in environmental and climate discourse, it characterizes deteriorating conditions such as air or water quality or flood risk; in journalism and policy debates, it is used to convey a sense of sustained deterioration when data show a continuing negative trend.

Limitations: the term is qualitative and subjective, not a technical measure. Without supporting data, it can overstate or sensationalize trends. It is most reliable when paired with quantitative indicators (for example, time-series analyses) to define rate and magnitude.

See also: deterioration, progressive worsening, chronic progression, trajectory. Examples include an ever-worsening climate impact, an ever-worsening medical condition, or an ever-worsening drought.