sore

play

adjective \ ˈsȯr \

Definition of sore

sorer; sorest

1 a :causing emotional pain or distress

a sore subject

b :physically tender (as from overuse or injury) :feeling or affected by pain :achy

sore muscles

limped on a sore leg

felt sore all over

2 :attended by difficulties, hardship, or exertion

3 :angry, irked

a sore loser

—

soreness

noun

See sore defined for English-language learners

See sore defined for kids

Examples of sore in a Sentence

a dog limping on a sore leg
The patient has a sore throat.
That's a sore subject to bring up.
The discussion touched on a sore spot.
My neighbor is sore at me.
Are you still sore about what happened last night?

Recent Examples of sore from the Web

Their staff leader (Duffy) landed on the disabled list on Saturday and underwent an MRI on his sore left elbow.

— rustin dodd, kansascity, "Royals are shut out for second straight night, fall 4-0 to the Indians," 26 Aug. 2017
Ectopic pregnancies can manifest nonspecific symptoms such as abdominal pain and vaginal bleeding, sometimes alongside the typical pregnancy symptoms of amenorrhea, sore breasts, and morning sickness.

— joanna petrone, Longreads, "Pregnant, then Ruptured," 18 Aug. 2017
Trump’s call with the president of Mexico begins with Enrique Peña Nieto raising — intentionally or not — a sore subject.

— philip bump, Washington Post, "Does Trump actually know what happened last November?," 3 Aug. 2017
After a 5-month road trip across Asia in 2010, 22-year-old college graduate Matthew Lazell-Fairman started feeling constantly tired, his muscles sore and head aching.

— giorgia guglielmi, Science | AAAS, "More clues link immune system imbalance with chronic fatigue syndrome," 31 July 2017
Astonishingly, the only after-effects appeared to be some short-term memory loss and an extremely sore chest – from the more than 3,500 compressions Oliva says were administered.

— théoden janes, charlotteobserver, "His heart stopped for more than 30 minutes. How can he still be alive?," 13 July 2017
Since getting three games off to rest his sore right throwing shoulder, shortstop Addison Russell has thrown more accurately and with more authority.

— mark gonzales, chicagotribune.com, "Worst things first: Cubs need better starts in second half," 13 July 2017
A black patch of mold looms like a sore on the ceiling of one his bathrooms.

— vinny vella, Courant Community, "North End Residents Organize Against Alleged Neglect By Landlord," 11 July 2017
But any sore feelings between Chance and MTV seem to have been repaired.

— kim janssen, chicagotribune.com, "Chance the Rapper takes on critic, MTV — and wins," 4 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'sore.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of sore

Middle English sor, from Old English sār; akin to Old High German sēr sore and probably to Old Irish saeth distress

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

sore Synonyms

Synonyms

aching, achy, afflictive, hurting, nasty, painful

Antonyms

indolent, painless

Related Words

agonizing, excruciating, torturous; damaging, deleterious, detrimental, harmful, hurtful, injurious, noxious, pernicious; raw, tender; bleeding, burning, chafing, cramping, festering; itching, nagging, pinching, pricking, prickling, smarting, stinging; inflamed (also enflamed), swollen; grievous, severe, threatening, wounding

Near Antonyms

curative, healing, helping, remedial

sore

noun

Definition of sore

1 :a localized sore spot on the body; especially :one (such as an ulcer) with the tissues ruptured or abraded and usually with infection

2 :a source of pain or vexation :affliction

See sore defined for English-language learners

Examples of sore in a Sentence

He has a sore on his lip.

Recent Examples of sore from the Web

Genital herpes is caused by two viruses that can trigger outbreaks of painful sores.

— marisa taylor, Kaiser Health News, "Offshore Human Testing Of Herpes Vaccine Stokes Debate Over U.S. Safety Rules," 28 Aug. 2017
That will be the case for the foreseeable future, as Nuñez will have to fill in at second base with Dustin Pedroia staring down season-ending surgery on a troublesome sore left knee.

— jon tayler, SI.com, "The Magnificent Rafael Devers Is a Revelation for the Red Sox ... For Now," 15 Aug. 2017
Parents should visit the pediatrician if the sores develop near the eyes, won't heal or come with a blister-like rash or fever.

— caroline picard, Good Housekeeping, "Mom Shares Terrifying Photos to Warn Parents After Baby Breaks Out in Cold Sores," 31 July 2017
In the early stages of syphilis, symptoms include a painless, round sore or sores at the infection site (typically around the genitals, anus, or mouth).

— brittney mcnamara, Teen Vogue, "Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment Discovered 45 Years Ago," 25 July 2017
In January, he was charged with elder abuse after his 87 year-old mother was sent to intensive care for bed sores.

— veronica hilbring, Essence.com, "When White Supremacy Strikes: Florida Mayoral Candidate Tells Audience Member To ‘Go Back To Africa’," 20 July 2017
Kiko is afraid of being alone and used to lick his paws and legs to self-soothe, leading to sores, his owner explained on Instagram.

— taysha murtaugh, Country Living, "Yes, Dogs Can Have Anxiety, Too—Here's How You Can Help," 14 July 2017
Approximately 15 percent of patients with diabetes develop foot ulcers (open sores or wounds).

— for kentuckyone, The Courier-Journal, "Do you have a wound that just won’t heal?," 5 July 2017
Externally, his body withered into a skeletal silhouette, covered in open sores.

— patrick malone, Science | AAAS, "A near-disaster at a federal nuclear weapons," 29 June 2017

First Known Use of sore

before 12th century

sore

adverb

Definition of sore

:sorely

Examples of sore in a Sentence

I was sore afraid we'd never make it home.

Recent Examples of sore from the Web

Jerad Eickhoff (sore back) will join double-A Reading in Trenton for a start Tuesday night.

— matt gelb, Philly.com, "Middle of Phillies order still not producing," 3 July 2017
Utah was without starting point guard George Hill (sprained/sore left big toe).

— jason jones, sacbee.com, "Warriors in control after Game 2 win but know they can play better," 4 May 2017
Girardi rested Didi Gregorius, whose arm was sore after being hit by a pitch on Saturday night.

— wayne epps jr., New York Times, "Yankees Avoid a Sweep and Sustain Their Playoff Hopes," 4 Sep. 2016

First Known Use of sore

before 12th century

sore Synonyms

Synonyms

achingly, almighty, archly, awful, awfully, badly, beastly, blisteringly, bone, colossally, corking, cracking, damn, damned, dang, deadly, desperately, eminently, enormously, especially, ever, exceedingly (also exceeding), extra, extremely, fabulously, fantastically, far, fiercely, filthy, frightfully, full, greatly, heavily, highly, hugely, immensely, incredibly, intensely, jolly, majorly, mightily, mighty, monstrous [chiefly dialect], mortally, most, much, particularly, passing, rattling, real, really, right, roaring, roaringly, seriously, severely, so, very, sorely, spanking, specially, stinking, such, super, supremely, surpassingly, terribly, that, thumping, too, unco, uncommonly, vastly, vitally, way, whacking, wicked, wildly

Antonyms

little, negligibly, nominally, slightly, somewhat

Near Antonyms

meagerly, scantily; barely, hardly, just, marginally, minimally, scarcely

SORE Defined for English Language Learners

sore

play

adjective

Definition of sore for English Language Learners

: feeling or affected by pain
: causing emotional pain or distress
: angry or upset

sore

noun

Definition of sore for English Language Learners

: a sore or painful spot on the body

SORE Defined for Kids

sore

play

adjective \ ˈsȯr \

Definition of sore for Students

sorer; sorest

1 :very painful or sensitive :tender

My muscles are sore from exercise.

2 :hurt or red and swollen so as to be or seem painful

a sore throat

3 :causing emotional distress

a sore subject

4 :angry

Are you still sore with me?

—

sorely

adverb

She will be solely missed.

—

soreness

noun

sore

noun

Definition of sore for Students

:a sore or painful spot on the body usually with the skin broken or bruised and often with infection

Medical Dictionary

sore

play

adjective \ ˈsō(ə)r, ˈsȯ(ə)r \

medical Definition of sore

sorer; sorest

:causing, characterized by, or affected with pain :painful

sore muscles

a sore wound

—

sorely

adverb

—

soreness

noun

sore

noun

medical Definition of sore

:a localized sore spot on the body; especially :one (as an ulcer) with the tissues ruptured or abraded and usually with infection

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sore

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sore

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sore

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sore

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sorely

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sorely

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sore

medical Definition of sore

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