hurtful

adjective

hurt·​ful ˈhərt-fəl 

: causing injury, detriment, or suffering : damaging

hurtfully

ˈhərt-fə-lē 

adverb

hurtfulness noun

Synonyms of hurtful

• harmful
• detrimental
• damaging
• dangerous
• adverse

Examples of hurtful in a Sentence

She can't forgive him for the hurtful things he said.

Their comments were really hurtful to me.

Recent Examples on the Web

Just the thought of my sister enduring such a brutal attack is just deeply hurtful to me and to the rest of my family. — Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 22 Sep. 2026

Indeed, in her devotion to sparkle, Pechman declines to probe too deeply into any of the industry’s more hurtful or exploitative dimensions. — Natalia Winkelman, Variety, 20 Sep. 2026

Senior Zaina Jafri, a South Asian student, told The Daily Texan the comments from a candidate for office were hurtful. — Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 Sep. 2026

Forget the fines and suspensions, most hurtful to fans is the league stripping the Clippers of five first-round draft picks, from 2029 through 2033. — Mirjam Swanson, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1526, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

hurtful

adjective

hurt·​ful ˈhərt-fəl 

: causing injury or suffering : damaging

hurtfully

-fə-lē 

adverb

hurtfulness noun