1
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
2
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
3
as in to injure
to cause bodily damage to
the common belief that reading in poor light hurts your eyes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in to grieve
to feel deep sadness or mental pain
I know you must be hurting from the cruel words they said
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
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
as in injured
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hurt
Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 13 Aug. 2025
Lost tourism revenue will hurt small businesses and local economies.
—Paul Steely White, New York Daily News, 12 Aug. 2025
Julie Coleman, CNBC, 29 July 2025
That’s because there’s a lot of hurt between the two, which goes back to when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle left their positions as working royals, and has gotten worse now, considering the two aren’t talking to each other.
—Lissete Lanuza Sáenz, StyleCaster, 11 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for hurt
Noun
Neither featured again, their abrupt omission clearly hurting two players who had done so much to get Wrexham up and running again after being brought together following Palmer’s arrival in January 2022 from Wimbledon in a club record £300,000 deal.
—Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 13 Aug. 2025
Lost tourism revenue will hurt small businesses and local economies.
—Paul Steely White, New York Daily News, 12 Aug. 2025
Adjective
According to Cramer, enterprise software is suffering because the industry might be one of the first hurt by new generative artificial intelligence technology.
—Julie Coleman, CNBC, 29 July 2025
That’s because there’s a lot of hurt between the two, which goes back to when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle left their positions as working royals, and has gotten worse now, considering the two aren’t talking to each other.
—Lissete Lanuza Sáenz, StyleCaster, 11 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for hurt
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hurt
Verb
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When his side ached for the next couple of days, X-rays revealed the fractures.—
David O'Brien,
New York Times,
8 Aug. 2025
-
With Hasan in Gaza is an aching witness to the beauty of this land and the struggle of its people, neither of which may soon be recognizable at all.—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
7 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Only one public building was damaged in Lincoln, according to Chief of Staff Rhonda Hulse.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
6 Aug. 2025
-
Extreme heat in 2023 had damaged the quality of rice, causing an acute shortage last year that was exacerbated by the government’s misreading of supply and demand.—
Reuters,
CNN Money,
6 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Three people are dead and 10 are injured after multiple shooters opened fire in a New York City lounge, the New York City Police Department says.—
Julia Gomez,
USA Today,
18 Aug. 2025
-
In May, the body of a man was found hanging from a nearby bridge alongside a narco-message; a month later, a human head was left near a tourist site in Culiacán; and two weeks after that, several police officers were seriously injured in a nearby ambush.—
Rocío Muñoz-Ledo,
CNN Money,
18 Aug. 2025
Verb
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At the time, Sampson and his family were grieving the recent loss of their beloved dog, Caddie, who inspired another one of his books, Caddie the Golf Dog.—
Clea Haran,
Parents,
7 Aug. 2025
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As dozens of agencies scour the dense forests and mountains that bookend the town, residents are privately grieving the tragedy at a bar that holds a special place in their hearts – and the history of the region.—
Elizabeth Wolfe,
CNN Money,
6 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Notably, unemployment among Black men spiked significantly from 5.2% in May to 6.9% in July, illustrating a spreading distress that often starts with the most vulnerable groups and then extends wider in the labor market.—
Aisha Nyandoro,
Forbes.com,
7 Aug. 2025
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The legislation also follows several studies that highlighted concerning examples of AI therapy tools overlooking, or even encouraging, signs of mental distress.—
Mack DeGeurin,
Popular Science,
6 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
The lawsuit is seeking damages for physical and emotional harm, along with attorney fees and punitive damages.—
Adrienne Davis,
jsonline.com,
7 Aug. 2025
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Environmental groups presented testimony in court that additional construction of the facility would harm water quality in the Everglades and contribute harm to the endangered Florida panther.—
Greg Allen,
NPR,
7 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Franc Roddam, the British film and TV impresario who owns MasterChef, has said that he is pained by the presenter misconduct scandal that has engulfed the UK series.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
17 July 2025
-
This is unjust, and this injustice has genuinely pained me.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
10 July 2025
Verb
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Both votes were marred by what prosecutors said was a massive vote-buying scheme orchestrated by Shor, who has spent much of his time in Russia since he was convicted for his role in the 2014 theft of $1 billion from Moldovan banks.—
Christian Edwards,
CNN Money,
5 Aug. 2025
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Economically and socially liberal, though marred by colonial exploitation, Dutch society flourished.—
Michael James Rocha,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
3 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hurt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hurt. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
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