Definition
To make something worse while trying to improve it; the act of attempting to fix or enhance something but inadvertently causing more damage or problems. It captures the frustration of good intentions gone wrong.
Etymology
German compound word combining 'verschlimmern' (to make worse) and 'verbessern' (to improve). This linguistic innovation reflects German precision in describing specific emotional and practical experiences that other languages struggle to capture succinctly.
Kelly Says
Verschlimmbessern perfectly captures that sinking feeling when our helpful interventions backfire - it validates the emotional complexity of situations where good intentions lead to bad outcomes. This concept helps people understand that sometimes the kindest thing is to leave well enough alone, reducing guilt about not constantly trying to fix things.
Translations
AMአማርኛ
እንደ ደህን
en-de deh-en
ARالعربية
تفاقم
ta-fa-kam
BNবাংলা
কোনও ভালো হওয়া
kon-o bhalo ho-wa
CACatalà
pejorar
peh-jor-ar
CSČeština
zhoršovat
zhor-sho-vat
DADansk
forværre
for-vaer-re
DEDeutsch
verschlimmbessern
ver-shlim-be-ser-n
ELΕλληνικά
καταρρεύσει
ka-ta-re-v-sei
ESEspañol
peorarlo
peh-or-ar-lo
FAفارسی
بدتر کردن
bad-ter ke-dar-an
FISuomi
huonontaa
hwo-no-n-taa
FRFrançais
empirer
em-pee-rer
GUGU
કેટલું ખરાબ
ket-lu khra-ab
HEעברית
להחמיר
le-ha-ch-mir
HIहिन्दी
बुरा बनाना
boo-ra ba-na-na
HUMagyar
rombolni
rom-bol-ni
IDBahasa Indonesia
memburuk
mem-bu-ruk
IGIG
make worse
make worse
ITItaliano
peggiorare
peh-jor-ar-e
JA日本語
悪化させる
ak-ka-sa-seru
KO한국어
악화시키다
ak-hwa-si-ki-da
MSBahasa Melayu
buruk
bu-ruk
NLNederlands
verergeren
ver-e-re-geren
NONorsk
forverre
for-ver-re
PLPolski
pogorszyć
po-gor-sh-it
PTPortuguês
piorar
pee-oar
RORomână
înainta
in-a-in-ta
RUРусский
ухудшать
ookh-sh-at'
SVSvenska
förvärra
for-var-ra
SWKiswahili
kufanya mbaya
ku-fan-ya m-ba-ya
TAதமிழ்
கூடுதல் தீமை
koo-du-thal the-mai
TEతెలుగు
పెంచడం
pen-cha-dam
TRTürkçe
kötüleştirmek
koo-te-li-stir-mek
UKУкраїнська
погіршити
po-hir-sh-it
VITiếng Việt
làm trầm trọng hơn
lam tram-trong hon
ZH中文
使情况更糟
shǐ qíngkuàng gèng zāo