Thesaurus results for HURT

hurt 1 of 3

verb

ˈhərt

Definition of hurt

as in to ache

to feel or cause physical pain my head hurts a bad sprain that really hurts I hurt all over

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in to damage

to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of don't worry that you'll hurt the new lawn by walking across it

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to injure

to cause bodily damage to the common belief that reading in poor light hurts your eyes

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to grieve

to feel deep sadness or mental pain I know you must be hurting from the cruel words they said

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

hurt

2 of 3

adjective

as in injured

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

hurt

3 of 3

noun

as in distress

a state of great suffering of body or mind in her hurt she said a lot of things to her boyfriend that she didn't really mean

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in harm

something that causes loss or pain a totally baseless accusation that caused lasting hurt to his reputation

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word hurt distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of hurt are damage, harm, impair, injure, and mar. While all these words mean "to affect injuriously," hurt implies inflicting a wound to the body or to the feelings.

hurt by their callous remarks

When can damage be used instead of hurt?

Although the words damage and hurt have much in common, damage suggests injury that lowers value or impairs usefulness.

a table damaged in shipping

When might harm be a better fit than hurt?

The words harm and hurt can be used in similar contexts, but harm often stresses the inflicting of pain, suffering, or loss.

careful not to harm the animals

When could impair be used to replace hurt?

The words impair and hurt are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, impair suggests a making less complete or efficient by deterioration or diminution.

years of smoking had impaired his health

When would injure be a good substitute for hurt?

While in some cases nearly identical to hurt, injure implies the inflicting of anything detrimental to one's looks, comfort, health, or success.

badly injured in an accident

When is mar a more appropriate choice than hurt?

While the synonyms mar and hurt are close in meaning, mar applies to injury that spoils perfection (as of a surface) or causes disfigurement.

the text is marred by many typos

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of hurt

Verb

Reuters said March and April reports of impending layoffs and Meta tracking employees’ keyboard and mouse input in order to train AI agents (Meta has since paused the program) hurt employee morale. — Scharon Harding, ArsTechnica, 26 Aug. 2026 The attacks have also served Ukraine’s war goals by unsettling Russians living far from the front line and hurting the Russian economy. — ABC News, 26 Aug. 2026

Adjective

Many of the hurt kids were at home when tear gas drifted in from streets where federal agents had deployed the chemical agent against crowds of protesters. — Lisa Song, ProPublica, 27 May 2026 Ailing with a hurt knee and foot that kept him from elevating, the graduate transfer from UAB finished with 13 points on 4-of-13 shooting. — Eddie Pells, The Orlando Sentinel, 7 Apr. 2026

Noun

This is a hurt which is still raw and, in many aspects, unresolved. — Literary Hub, 30 July 2026 The Black community is experiencing a hurt that feels all too familiar. — Melissa S. Johnson, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for hurt

Recent Examples of Synonyms for hurt

Verb

The 49ers have been aching to develop a draftee into a star, and Stribling might be their best shot since drafting Purdy in 2022.

— Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 20 Aug. 2026
Most people who are infected with the virus have either no symptoms or experience a mild illness such as fever, headache, and body aches.

— Paula Wethington, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of ache

Verb

Scott Quigley, then embedded with the Middlesex DA’s office, crashed his cruiser into a wheelchair van in December 2023, injuring a man inside who died at the hospital a month later.

— Boston Herald editorial staff, Boston Herald, 25 Aug. 2026
During a 2021 mass shooting at a school in Oxford, Michigan, police responded within minutes of the emergency calls and disarmed a 15-year-old boy in a shooting that killed four students and injured seven others.

— Cindy Von Quednow, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of injure

Cite this Entry

Style

“Hurt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hurt. Accessed 28 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of hurt

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noun

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