Alexander Schmidt, Shakespeare Lexicon and Quotation Dictionary

Worst, 1) adj. most bad: Lucr. 324. Gent. V, 4, 72. Wiv. I, 4, 13. Meas. II, 1, 163. LLL I, 1, 283. III, 196. III, 196 Mids. V, 214. As III, 2, 301. Shr. I, 2, 130. IV, 2, 104. R2 IV, 115 (w. in this royal presence may I speak, i. e. I may be the meanest and most unfit to speak). H6B I, 3, 88. Rom. II, 4, 131 etc.
== in the most evil or afflictive state: “when he is w., he is little better than a beast,” Merch. I, 2, 95. “to be w., the lowest and most dejected thing of fortune, stands still in esperance,” Lr. IV, 1, 2. cf. “to be worse than w. of those that lawless and incertain thought imagine howling,” Meas. III, 1, 126.
Substantively: “the w. is but denial and reproving,” Lucr. 242. “so shall I taste at first the very w. of fortune's might,” Sonn. 90, 12. 80, 14. 137, 4. 150, 8. Mids. I, 1, 63. Merch. I, 2, 96. Shr. I, 2, 14. Shr. I, 2, 14 IV, 4, 60. Alls II, 1, 176 (cf. Extend). R2 III, 2, 94. R2 III, 2, 94 R2 III, 2, 94 H6A IV, 1, 66. H6A IV, 1, 66 H6C IV, 1, 128. Troil. III, 2, 78. Cymb. II, 3, 159. 160 etc. at the w. == in the most evil state, or at the greatest disadvantage: “thou hast me, if thou hast me, at the w.” H5 V, 2, 250. “things at the w. will cease or else climb upward to what they were before,” Mcb. IV, 2, 24. “I am at the w.” Lr. IV, 1, 27. “let him take 't at w.” Tim. V, 1, 181 (let him interpret my declaration, that I care not, in the worst sense). one's w. == the utmost evil that one can do: “to taste of thy most w.” Wint. III, 2, 180. “defy us to our w.” H5 III, 3, 5. “give thy w. of thoughts the w. of words,” Oth. III, 3, 132. “to do one's w.:” Sonn. 19, 13. 92, 1. Cor. V, 2, 112. Mcb. III, 2, 24. Lr. IV, 6, 140. Oth. V, 2, 159.
2) adv. == least or most, according to the sense of the verb (cf. Worse): “you may w. of all this table say so,” H8 V, 3, 78 (M. Edd. erroneously: you may, w. of all this table, say so). “the gods do like this w.” Per. IV, 3, 21. “when thou didst hate him w.” Caes. IV, 3, 106.