HURTFUL Synonyms: 141 Similar and Opposite Words

hurtful

adjective

ˈhərt-fəl

Definition of hurtful

as in harmful

causing or capable of causing harm the most hurtful thing you can do to this silk dress is put it in the dryer

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in painful

hard to accept or bear especially emotionally her ex-husband said hurtful things that she could never forgive

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 hurtful This was extremely hurtful to me. — Jacobina Martin, Washington Post, 20 June 2026 But the most heartbreaking scenes are of Bonnie, who is distraught and tearful after receiving hurtful messages online. — Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 18 June 2026 Although Sarah reportedly intended references such as borrowing Diana's shoes to be humorous, royal commentators said Diana found the passage deeply hurtful. — Stephanie Nolasco , Ashley Papa, FOXNews.com, 9 June 2026 That's just hurtful and not honest. — Sean Mandell, PEOPLE, 8 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for hurtful

Recent Examples of Synonyms for hurtful

Adjective

California was among dozens of states that sued Meta in 2023, alleging in a lawsuit that the social media giant intentionally designed harmful and addictive features to hook children while misleading the public about the dangers.

— Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026
The report said the company was strengthening its research infrastructure, increasing monitoring and improving safeguards designed to prevent harmful or unintended behavior.

— Reuters, NBC news, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of harmful

Adjective

Every defendant has the right to appeal, and our thoughts and prayers remain with the Metcalf family in the painful wake of last week's hearing.

— Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 22 Aug. 2026
The 55-year-old previously missed several weeks of the talk show amid recovery from painful gum surgery.

— Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of painful

Adjective

Success can feel like a cruel tease, fleetingly unattainable and yet when finally achieved, too dangerous to enjoy too long.

— Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 18 Aug. 2026
If Russia behaved badly, that was the fault of its primitive and cruel Asian side, a notion that conveniently created the fiction that Western countries are not capable of similar cruelty.

— Foreign Affairs, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of cruel

Adjective

Missing, say, 30 games would likely not be as damaging as missing half a season, or a whole season.

— Evan Drellich, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026
Strong El Niño events, such as the one revving up in the tropical Pacific, have rarely spared the Golden State from significant and damaging consequences.

— Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of damaging

Adjective

The desert’s location on the southern border has led to many migrants attempting to cross it by using dangerous backcountry routes, the experts said.

— Emma Tucker, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2026
Rather, this is a dangerous, shape-shifting synthetic entity that ravaged their entire planet.

— Siddhant Adlakha, Vulture, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of dangerous

Adjective

Then England attracted adverse attention for openly drinking in the Queensland resort of Noosa when 2-0 down in a one-sided Ashes series in Australia.

— Paul Newman, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2026
Women with high occupational heat exposure were roughly twice as likely to suffer a miscarriage or stillbirth as those working in cooler conditions, and faced elevated risks of adverse birth outcomes overall.

— Catarina Rolfsdotter-Jansson, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026

Definition of adverse

Browse Nearby Words

hurt (for)

hurtful

hurtfully

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“Hurtful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hurtful. Accessed 29 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of hurtful

adjective

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