the end of the world; what is this world coming to; this degenerate age
A set phrase expressing despair or cynical astonishment at how bad things have become, as if the world is beyond saving. Often used as an exclamation or comment on current events.
こんな事件が毎日起きるなんて、世も末だ。
With incidents like this happening every day, it feels like the end of the world.
政治家があんな発言をするとは、世も末だな。
When a politician says something like that, you really wonder what the world is coming to.
Literally 'the world is also at its end'. The phrase combines 世 (world, society) with 末 (end, decline) and the particle も (also/even), suggesting that even the world itself has reached a terminal state. The exact origin is uncertain, but it reflects a long-standing cultural trope of lamenting the decline of the age.