hurt 1 of 3

1
2
3
4

hurt

2 of 3

adjective

hurt

3 of 3

noun

Synonym Chooser

How is the word hurt distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of hurt are damage, harm, impair, injure, and mar. While all these words mean "to affect injuriously," hurt implies inflicting a wound to the body or to the feelings.

hurt by their callous remarks

When can damage be used instead of hurt?

Although the words damage and hurt have much in common, damage suggests injury that lowers value or impairs usefulness.

a table damaged in shipping

When might harm be a better fit than hurt?

The words harm and hurt can be used in similar contexts, but harm often stresses the inflicting of pain, suffering, or loss.

careful not to harm the animals

When could impair be used to replace hurt?

The words impair and hurt are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, impair suggests a making less complete or efficient by deterioration or diminution.

years of smoking had impaired his health

When would injure be a good substitute for hurt?

While in some cases nearly identical to hurt, injure implies the inflicting of anything detrimental to one's looks, comfort, health, or success.

badly injured in an accident

When is mar a more appropriate choice than hurt?

While the synonyms mar and hurt are close in meaning, mar applies to injury that spoils perfection (as of a surface) or causes disfigurement.

the text is marred by many typos

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 hurt
Verb
If anything hurts, pull slowly out of the pose. Cory Martin, Verywell Health, 30 Oct. 2025 Your head hurts, your socks are sticky, and you’re supposed to be focused on winning a championship. Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 30 Oct. 2025
Adjective
Campillo — who spoke for a highly unusual 28 consecutive minutes — said the tax would repel tourists and hurt restaurants, event venues, attractions and businesses that support vacation rentals, such as cleaning companies. David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Oct. 2025 Backup cornerback Charles Woods joined Landry on the sideline, downgraded to non-participation because of a hurt knee. Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 16 Oct. 2025
Noun
Those hurt included 24 suspects, five officers and four drivers in other vehicles. Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 27 Oct. 2025 During public comment, the board heard about a lot of hurt being felt in their school community, including concerns that the plan doesn’t adequately address every group facing hate and marginalization, which includes Hispanic, Arab, Muslim, Black and LGBTQ students. Karen Billing, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for hurt
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hurt
Verb
  • His groin ached as if Sister Wang had been clutching him for years.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2025
  • While the flu is traditionally associated with symptoms like fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, runny or stuffy nose, headache and fatigue, children and adults alike can experience moderate to severe complications.
    Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 23 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Just under two million Palestinians—virtually the entire population of Gaza—have been displaced since October 2023, many repeatedly, and Israeli forces have damaged or destroyed more than 90 percent of homes in the Strip.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 3 Nov. 2025
  • This protection also works to protect plants that are marginally hardy in your area, such as hydrangeas blooming on old wood that may not bloom if their flower buds are damaged by cold.
    Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • The next day, however, a football-style tussle left him injured.
    Liza Esquibias, PEOPLE, 31 Oct. 2025
  • The 2023 edition opened a month later as Israel intensified its bombing campaign on Gaza, which has since killed more than 67,000 people, injured another 170,000 and razed the Palestinian territory to the ground, prompting accusations of genocide, which Israel has strongly rejected.
    Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 30 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Hours before Wednesday's game against the Halifax Macs, the Nova Scotia U-18 Major Hockey League announced on X that Marchand and Andrew Bodnarchuk will cover for the grieving father as guest coaches.
    Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
  • That line belongs to Triss Merigold, who is shocked when Yennefer pulls a small jade statue out of her decolletage and transforms it back into Francesca Findabair, the elven queen still grieving the loss of both her husband and her infant heir.
    Scott Meslow, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Indeed, the Dolphins offense was playing its second game in a row without two of the team’s four most dynamic weapons — receiver Tyreek Hill and tight end Darren Waller — who are both on injured reserve.
    Omar Kelly Updated October 31, Miami Herald, 31 Oct. 2025
  • This all goes out the window if Lamar Jackson gets re-injured.
    Tyler Everett, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Appearing in court on Monday, Barton pleaded not guilty to 12 charges of sending a grossly offensive communication with the intention of causing distress or anxiety.
    Greg O'Keeffe, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025
  • The family is seeking damages for negligence and emotional distress.
    Real-Time News team, Miami Herald, 3 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • No parents want to inflict emotional harm on their children, which is why most people strenuously avoid even getting snippy with their parents in front of the kids—and the guilt when an argument does break out can be immense.
    Sara Rowe Mount, Parents, 30 Oct. 2025
  • Many people can gamble or play games of chance without harm.
    Jennifer Rodriguez, Kansas City Star, 30 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • To see how much this moment pained Seattle and its players, look no further than MVP candidate Cal Raleigh, who was reduced to tears at the end of the game.
    George Ramsay, CNN Money, 22 Oct. 2025
  • When the body feels stress, your heart rate and blood pressure jump, stress chemicals rise, and the brain may turn pain down for a moment.
    Dayanne S. Antonio, The Conversation, 18 Sep. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hurt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hurt. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on hurt

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!