Synonyms of injure

injure

verb

ˈin-jər 

1

as in to damage

to cause bodily damage to

injured himself while skiing

Synonyms & Similar Words

• damage
• hurt
• wound
• bruise
• harm
• maim
• scar
• lacerate
• tear
• bloody
• blow out
• mutilate
• impair
• torture
• cripple
• afflict
• graze
• scald
• hamstring
• torment
• batter
• gore
• strain
• crease
• scathe
• nick
• cut
• gash
• mangle
• mar
• spoil
• abuse
• contuse
• scrape
• maltreat
• aggrieve
• lay up
• lame
• blemish

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• heal
• fix
• cure
• remedy
• mend

2

as in to mar

to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of

the agent's treachery has injured our national security for years to come

Synonyms & Similar Words

• damage
• mar
• hurt
• cripple
• weaken
• impair
• harm
• compromise
• spoil
• erode
• disfigure
• destroy
• break
• undermine
• deface
• bloody
• vitiate
• ruin
• cross (up)
• flaw
• blemish
• wound
• shatter
• crab
• deteriorate
• enervate
• demolish
• maim
• enfeeble
• batter
• endamage
• tarnish
• wear (away)
• devastate
• wreck
• scour
• lacerate
• dent
• mutilate
• wash out
• smash
• crush
• blight
• annihilate
• decimate
• botch
• torture
• disable
• ding
• mangle
• gum (up)
• torment
• pulverize
• hamstring
• clobber
• waste
• raze
• wipe out
• queer
• dint
• desolate
• total
• tear down
• lame
• bash
• scourge
• do in
• dash
• bang up

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• repair
• reconstruct
• help
• rebuild
• patch
• heal
• fix
• mend
• renovate
• rehabilitate
• remedy
• cure
• revamp
• recondition
• rectify
• improve
• enhance
• revise
• better
• doctor
• edit
• enrich
• perfect
• remodel
• ameliorate
• refine
• meliorate

Synonym Chooser

How is the word injure distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of injure are damage, harm, hurt, impair, and mar. While all these words mean "to affect injuriously," injure implies the inflicting of anything detrimental to one's looks, comfort, health, or success.

badly injured in an accident

When might damage be a better fit than injure?

The words damage and injure are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, damage suggests injury that lowers value or impairs usefulness.

a table damaged in shipping

When is it sensible to use harm instead of injure?

Although the words harm and injure have much in common, harm often stresses the inflicting of pain, suffering, or loss.

careful not to harm the animals

When can hurt be used instead of injure?

In some situations, the words hurt and injure are roughly equivalent. However, hurt implies inflicting a wound to the body or to the feelings.

hurt by their callous remarks

When would impair be a good substitute for injure?

The words impair and injure can be used in similar contexts, but impair suggests a making less complete or efficient by deterioration or diminution.

years of smoking had impaired his health

When could mar be used to replace injure?

The meanings of mar and injure largely overlap; however, mar applies to injury that spoils perfection (as of a surface) or causes disfigurement.

the text is marred by many typos

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of injure

Söderblom, meanwhile, was limited to 26 games in Detroit and finished the year injured, but showed more willingness to make use of his 6-foot-8 frame and has impressive hands for a big man. —Max Bultman, New York Times, 1 May 2025

Nazar's legs and feet were injured in the blast that followed; his friend sustained injuries to his torso. —Sarah Ferguson, Forbes.com, 30 Apr. 2025

Zelenskyy again urged greater international pressure on the Kremlin on Wednesday, citing the latest round of drone strikes in which 45 people were injured in Kharkiv -- including two children -- and one person was killed in Dnipro. —David Brennan, ABC News, 30 Apr. 2025

The spill killed 11 people and injured 17 others as 210 million gallons of crude oil were released into the Gulf of Mexico (recently renamed by the U.S. government as Gulf of America) for a total of 87 days. —Terry Collins, USA Today, 20 Apr. 2025