pis

Meaning in English

Pis is a French adverb meaning “worse” or “even worse”. It is most often used in the fixed expression au pis (aller), meaning “at worst”.

• C’est pis que je pensais. → “It’s worse than I thought.”
• Au pis, on partira demain. → “At worst, we’ll leave tomorrow.”

Notes / word parts

• Pis comes from Latin pejus (“worse”) and functions as a comparative form.
• It is related in meaning to pire, which is the more common form today. In modern French, pis is relatively literary or set-phrase-based.

Multiple meanings / uses

1. Comparative “worse” (literary/less common today)
   • pis que = “worse than”
2. Fixed expression: au pis (aller) = “at worst”
   • Common in everyday speech in this specific phrase.

French synonyms

• pire (most common modern equivalent)
• (depending on context) plus mal

French antonyms

• mieux (“better”)
• meilleur(e) (“better,” as an adjective, depending on structure)