BRUISING Synonyms: 129 Similar and Opposite Words

bruising 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of bruising

as in oppressive

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

bruising

2 of 2

verb

present participle of bruise

as in lacerating

Related Words

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 bruising

Adjective

Marcus ends her book by wondering whether the neutral ideal of the court can survive the bruising battle of Kavanaugh’s confirmation process. — John Fabian Witt, The New Republic, 7 Apr. 2020 The University of Maryland, College Park has been at the center of most of the bruising scandals, most notably the death of a 19-year-old football player Jordan McNair and ensuing reports of a troubled culture within the athletic department. — Talia Richman, baltimoresun.com, 9 Nov. 2019 Even Mr Macron’s domestic standing has started to recover, having taken a bruising soon after coming into office. — The Economist, 7 Nov. 2019 Adding to the challenges for Chief Justice Roberts, the Supreme Court’s latest term, which ended in June, was particularly bruising and divisive. — Jess Bravin, WSJ, 7 Oct. 2018 See All Example Sentences for bruising

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bruising

Adjective

Underneath a sky of wildfire smoke and haze, the teams played through four hydration breaks, injury stoppages, oppressive summer heat and a patchy pitch.

— Meg Linehan, New York Times, 17 July 2026
Tenet is a collection of Nolan’s most frustrating habits cranked to 11 — from an oppressive soundscape that eclipses dialogue, to stylish yet flat characters, to a narrative that’s confusingly twisty to the point of contortion.

— James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 16 July 2026

Definition of oppressive

Verb

Two generations of viewers have now grown up consuming The Daily Show’s lacerating take on politics.

— Chris Smith, Vanity Fair, 13 July 2026
In the last year, Huston has broken his eye socket — twice — and his jaw, as well as lacerating his kidney, per posts on his social media.

— Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 28 June 2026

Definition of lacerating

Adjective

The severe physical limitations of those procedures required extensive medical care, leading her L7 bandmates to share a GoFundMe to cover Finch’s medical expenses and at-home care.

— Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 19 July 2026
Diagnosed with Alzheimer's, severe dementia with agitation, depression, and anxiety, the woman was confused, had difficulty communicating her needs, and hit aides.

— Jordan Rau, NPR, 19 July 2026

Definition of severe

Verb

Retailers like Wayfair, Pottery Barn, West Elm, and Amazon are still slashing prices on some of the highest-quality pieces on the market.

— Sarah Scott, Southern Living, 19 July 2026
San Francisco had already seen a Waymo smashed and torched by a crowd, and a man charged with slashing the tires of seventeen more.

— Jason Snyder, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026

Definition of slashing

Adjective

This exhausting existence has kept Lucky emotionally dependent on her father.

— Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 15 July 2026
Slowing down to actually notice the trees around you is part of what makes long-distance hiking restorative rather than just exhausting.

— Hanna Wickes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 July 2026

Definition of exhausting

Verb

In complex leagues — rookie-level leagues held at team training complexes in Arizona or Florida — teams often don’t have enough pitching, which leads to pregame haggling over whether games are played to nine or seven innings.

— Brittany Ghiroli, New York Times, 1 July 2026
So why does buying B2B software still feel like haggling at a bazaar?

— Salim Gheewalla, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026

Definition of haggling

Adjective

In the $200,000 San Clemente Handicap 35-1 longshot Somerset West (Armando Ayuso) outran nine other 3-year-old fillies, including three formidable challengers who shipped in from the east.

— Bill Center, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 July 2026
Ohtani spearheads the game’s most formidable hypothetical October rotation.

— Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 18 July 2026

Definition of formidable

Verb

The agent did not invent a wholly new method of hacking, Woodward says.

— Chris Stokel-Walker, Scientific American, 22 July 2026
Most tools monitor internal telemetry dressed up as external visibility, leaving adversary intent signals and hacking campaign planning invisible.

— Kumar Ritesh, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026

Definition of hacking

Browse Nearby Words

bruises

bruising

bruit

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Bruising.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bruising. Accessed 23 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of bruising

adjective

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on bruising

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

maverick

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 24

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?

Popular

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes