made matters worse
Added fuel, fire
To make matters worse is to aggravate an already bad situation.
The phrase typically introduces an additional problem compounding existing troubles: The car broke down, and to make matters worse, it started raining.
Sometimes shortened to worse yet or worse still.
- aggravatedIntensified or vexed
- added fuel to the fireAggravated existing tensions
- intensifiedMade more extreme
- compoundedCombined or worsened
- exacerbatedIncreased severity of
complicated · escalated · threw gas on the fire · deepened · magnified · amplified · heightened · backfired · deteriorated · inflamed · alienation · frustration · mistrust · resentment · snowballed · misunderstanding · conflict · failure