worse than the disease
2
8.3
- idiom
:
peor que la enfermedad
- He decided the cure was worse than the disease, and I understood his choice.
- a cure worse than the disease
The cure is worse than the disease in many cases.
- The cure is worse than the disease in many cases.
- In fact, the the the as the saying goes, the treatment is worse than the disease itself.
Examples
-
Some cures are worse than the disease.
Academic text (2005) -
So if it's bad for us, but the solution is potentially worse than the disease, what do we do about that?
-
The cure is worse than the disease in many cases.
-
Then the cure might be worse than the disease.
Fiction book (1997) -
The cure might be worse than the disease.
Fiction book (2000) -
In such a case, the cure may prove worse than the disease.
Blog text (24) -
In terms of prostate cancer, the treatment is worse than the disease (in my cases, in my opinion).
Blog text (23) -
Too many medications, unnecessary surgeries, inappropriate medical screening... there is perhaps no other society that is subjected to as much excessive medical care, and often the "treatment" ends up being worse than the disease.
Blog text (9) -
In cases of extreme toxicity, some treatments are considered worse than the disease they aim to cure.
-
Many health experts warn that certain medications can be worse than the disease if side effects are too severe.
Antonyms
How Harmful
2
8.3
161
2.6
61
6.8
133
5.6
231
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is a straightforward comparative construction: 'worse' + 'than' + 'the disease' yields the meaning 'more harmful than the disease itself.' This composition follows normal English comparison patterns and is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents can derive the intended meaning.
Etymology
Worse than the disease is a saying that comes from the image of a medicine or cure that makes you sicker. If the cure is worse than the disease, the phrase is used to say something is 'causing more harm than the problem'.