1
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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in painful
hard to accept or bear especially emotionally
her ex-husband said hurtful things that she could never forgive
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
That can include jokes about the comedians’ marriages—the kind of ragging that most people probably wouldn’t accept from their spouse in public, and that can be hurtful or sexist in the wrong context.
—
Olga Khazan, The Atlantic, 26 Mar. 2025
Beyond weaponizing the Bible to attack the trans community, there’s another hurtful trend related to the anti-trans crusade: Right-wing forces are attempting to imbue their twisted version of Christianity into all layers of public life without any regard for different religious perspectives.
—Rev. Dr. Serene Jones, TIME, 17 Mar. 2025
This mental filter encourages kindness and discourages dismissive or hurtful reactions.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 30 Mar. 2025
The Patriots would be much less likely to prioritize offense with the fourth pick in the draft and would make missing out on Travis Hunter less hurtful.
—Paul Du Quenoy, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hurtful
Olga Khazan, The Atlantic, 26 Mar. 2025
Beyond weaponizing the Bible to attack the trans community, there’s another hurtful trend related to the anti-trans crusade: Right-wing forces are attempting to imbue their twisted version of Christianity into all layers of public life without any regard for different religious perspectives.
—Rev. Dr. Serene Jones, TIME, 17 Mar. 2025
This mental filter encourages kindness and discourages dismissive or hurtful reactions.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 30 Mar. 2025
The Patriots would be much less likely to prioritize offense with the fourth pick in the draft and would make missing out on Travis Hunter less hurtful.
—Paul Du Quenoy, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hurtful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hurtful
Adjective
-
Confusing a congressional edict to end segregation with DEI policies that have no genesis in the Black Civil Rights movement to end Jim Crow is historically ignorant, disrespectful, and harmful to the urgent need to focus on resolving continuing racial inequalities in public education.—
Raymond Pierce,
Forbes.com,
25 Apr. 2025
-
For every person who happily sets 4:00 a.m. alarms on race morning, there’s another convinced the sport is too hard, too boring, or a waste of time, if not outright harmful.—
Cindy Kuzma,
SELF,
25 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Like many things in life, trying to fix something later is much more painful.—
Kevin Campbell,
Forbes.com,
29 Apr. 2025
-
Lotions in particular remove hair from the root, are less painful than wax strips, and are much cheaper than laser hair removal and electrolysis.—
Danielle Jackson,
Glamour,
29 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Focusing too much on weight rather than taking a more holistic approach can be detrimental to the care of all patients.—
Hannah Yasharoff,
USA Today,
30 Apr. 2025
-
And this has serious and detrimental consequences, not just for the colleges and universities, but for our economy.—
Destinee Adams,
NPR,
29 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Such evidence could support the view that incessant loud noise amounts to torture or cruel treatment towards cetaceans, in turn galvanizing support for a new right to be free from such harm.—
David Gruber,
Time,
24 Apr. 2025
-
But this is the cruel and unreasonable state of this Administration's deportation policy.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
More studies will have to determine just how damaging microplastics truly are to fertility.—
Melissa Willets,
Parents,
24 Apr. 2025
-
But the uncertainty bred by the trade war is just as damaging to businesses’ bottom lines as consumers pull back their spending.—
Amelia Lucas,
CNBC,
24 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Vietnamese refugees who got a warm welcome from America puzzle at family separations, harsh rhetoric In Vietnam, Lam had owned three companies.—
Anh Do,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Apr. 2025
-
President Donald Trump has launched harsh immigration actions in his first 100 days in office—detaining more people for immigration violations, allowing arrests outside schools and courthouses, and sending more than 200 Venezuelan men to be imprisoned in El Salvador.—
Brian Bennett,
Time,
29 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
The dangerous flash flooding is forecast to be worst in Dallas, southeastern Oklahoma and eastern Arkansas.—
Kenton Gewecke,
ABC News,
30 Apr. 2025
-
The Jets were at their most dangerous when Vilardi could choose between Connor across the slot, Nikolaj Ehlers in the middle, or a net-front drive of his own.—
Murat Ates,
New York Times,
30 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
So far, Lilly said the adverse effects of its new pill are consistent with GLP-1s, a class of medications primarily used to treat type 2 diabetes.—
Jonathan Limehouse,
USA Today,
18 Apr. 2025
-
In the study, the researchers measured patients’ impulse control behavior disorders, excessive daytime sleepiness, blood pressure changes and weight changes, and found that the adverse effects linked to tavapadon were no different from those who received a placebo.—
Melissa Rudy,
FOXNews.com,
18 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hurtful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hurtful. Accessed 3 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share