HURT Synonyms: 294 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

hurt 1 of 3

verb

ˈhərt

Definition of hurt next

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Examples of hurt in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

The loan-servicing giant allegedly mismanaged payment processing, hurting the credit of disabled borrowers whose loans had been discharged, the agency contended. —

Kate Gibson, CBS News, 12 Sep. 2024 The food was good, the company was fabulous, and at the end of the night the back of my head physically hurt from laughing and smiling so much. —

Laia Garcia-Furtado, Vogue, 12 Sep. 2024 The best way to approach it, Brownfield says, is to focus on the pattern or cycle hurting your friendship. —

Angela Haupt, TIME, 4 Sep. 2024 Yes, but: While losing Barrett hurts the team's defensive front, many feel tackle Calijah Kancey is on track for stardom after a four-sack rookie season. —

Jeff Weiner, Axios, 3 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for hurt

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hurt.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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Style

“Hurt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hurt. Accessed 19 Sep. 2024.

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Last Updated: 18 Sep 2024 - Updated example sentences

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Synonyms of hurt

verb

adjective

noun

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Examples of hurt in a Sentence

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