HURTFULLY Synonyms: 90 Similar and Opposite Words

hurtfully

adverb

as in cruelly

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for hurtfully

Adverb

In the penalty shootout, Verbruggen seemed to have saved from Rahimi again — only to see the ball cruelly creep in off his back.

— Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 5 July 2026
Christian Pulisic even had a goal cruelly wiped out by the offside flag.

— Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 2 July 2026

Definition of cruelly

Adverb

Yet others — particularly those who identify as Jews through ethnic, cultural or family ties, rather than religion — feel less connected to Israel and judge its actions in the ongoing conflict more harshly.

— David Crary, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026
The Street graded Meta’s capital expenditure intentions more harshly relative to its hyperscaler peers ( Amazon , Microsoft , and Alphabet ), as monetization of that spend would depend almost entirely on internal demand for compute.

— Zev Fima, CNBC, 8 July 2026

Definition of harshly

Adverb

Georgia, after establishing herself as a non-hands-washer last year (and doubling down over and over again), decided to sharply pivot to become a maven of cleanliness.

— Tom Smyth, Vulture, 9 July 2026
Each path promises the same payoff, consistent cold-water immersion for recovery, stress management and mental resilience, but the setup costs, maintenance demands and daily user experience diverge sharply.

— Samantha Agate, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 July 2026

Definition of sharply

Adverb

But the dramatic cut in drug production was also due in part to farmers being given alternative crops to the cultivation of opium poppies, De Croo said, noting that funding for such programs had been severely curtailed.

— ABC News, ABC News, 8 July 2026
However, local journalism's ability to cover these profound changes is severely declining, with a 75% drop in local reporting since the early 2000s.

— Shalin Jyotishi, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026

Definition of severely

Adverb

Predominant symptoms among those who reported feeling ill included vomiting and diarrhea.

— Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 2 July 2026
Yet the Village People’s hits endured in a way few other disco novelties could, forever blasted out at weddings and occasionally ill-fitting public events.

— Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 1 July 2026

Definition of ill

Adverb

Nations like Mongolia, Bhutan, and Nepal are acutely aware of the danger, fearing that not capitulating on the Dalai Lama succession issue could open the door to broader Chinese territorial claims.

— Charlie Campbell, Time, 9 July 2026
Virality, however, is not the same as long-term brand value, something ALO appears acutely aware of.

— Kate Hardcastle, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026

Definition of acutely

Adverb

As Ethan, Stock was as perversely alienating as he was poignantly alienated.

— Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026
At the very least, the attacks have brought the war home even more poignantly for millions of Russians, shattering Putin’s narrative of the conflict as something that doesn’t affect the lives of ordinary people in his country.

— ABC News, ABC News, 4 July 2026

Definition of poignantly

Adverb

Chef Steven Pham is still simmering his signature Northern Vietnamese-style pho ga, which features a soul-piercingly clear broth, tender poached chicken, rice noodles, and a floating raft of fresh herbs.

— Becky Duffett, Bon Appetit Magazine, 8 June 2026
The Towode Door Stop Alarm is a budget-friendly, highly effective safety tool that functions as a wedge door stop and a piercingly loud alarm when activated.

— Sophie Dodd, Travel + Leisure, 31 May 2026

Definition of piercingly

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hurtful

hurtfully

hurting

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“Hurtfully.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hurtfully. Accessed 11 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of hurtfully

adverb

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