1. to cause a situation to become more difficult, serious, or unpleasant than it already is
Arguing with him will only make things worse.
Discutir com ele só vai piorar as coisas.
2. to aggravate or exacerbate an already problematic situation
Adding more rules to the system will make things worse for everyone.
Adicionar mais regras ao sistema vai piorar tudo para todos.