HURTFULLY Synonyms: 90 Similar and Opposite Words

hurtfully

adverb

as in cruelly

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for hurtfully

Adverb

And, if Barisone was psychotically deluded, how was the jury meant to understand the defense’s central framing, which was that Kanarek had cruelly tried to harm Barisone?

— Ian Parker, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026
Hansen can be cruelly mocking towards his oft-flustered but extremely professional producer Andie Bender (an astonishingly good Merritt Wever).

— Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of cruelly

Adverb

Some are condemned swiftly and harshly, others are shrugged off almost entirely.

— Matt Calkins OutKick, FOXNews.com, 24 Sep. 2026
Meta has been judged harshly for spending billions of dollars on AI without becoming a leader in the technology, so Muse’s popularity surprised some, according to Jefferies senior analyst Brent Thill.

— Ella Chakarian, Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of harshly

Adverb

Research into psychedelics for depression, PTSD, end-of-life care, and anxiety has exploded, and overall recreational usage has risen sharply.

— Claire Hoffman, Rolling Stone, 21 Sep. 2026
While the national average cost of regular gasoline has risen sharply over the past week, California prices have surpassed $6 per gallon, according to AAA.

— Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of sharply

Adverb

After months of suspension because of fighting, UNIFIL has resumed some of its non-military activities, providing basic medical assistance in areas where access remains severely restricted.

— Diego Ibarra Sánchez, NPR, 19 Sep. 2026
Last week, McClatchy newsrooms were cut severely, leaving fewer journalists than ever to cover the fast-growing hubs of the Central Valley.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2026

Definition of severely

Adverb

However, since the start of the year, India is seeing a fall in sales of smartphones, acutely in the entry-level devices where prices have risen sharply.

— Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 24 Sep. 2026
But perhaps no one feels its expected passage in the Senate as acutely, or as personally, as Peter Mills.

— Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of acutely

Adverb

The comparisons between that movie and Elsinore, what with all the Hamlet being performed and poignantly referring back to our characters’ circumstances, have been impossible to ignore.

— Joe Reid, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026
That’s a process that can help clarify thoughts, but knowing that no one was behind the dialogue, that the empathy was a technique and not a presence, left me with a sense of being poignantly unheard.

— Steven Barrie-Anthony, The Atlantic, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of poignantly

Adverb

As money hijacks morality and democracy begins to look like a hoax, Tresnjak’s Broadway-caliber staging contrasts garish spectacle with piercingly intimate scenes between Claire and Anton.

— Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026
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

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 25 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of hurtfully

adverb

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