HURTFULLY Synonyms: 90 Similar and Opposite Words

hurtfully

adverb

as in cruelly

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for hurtfully

Adverb

Hope was dangled like a carrot, then cruelly snatched away, more than once.

— Marissa Stapley, PEOPLE, 7 July 2026
Colombia peppered him with shots from all parts of the attacking third, as seen below, and had three goals disallowed before Daniel Munoz’s deflected strike — cruelly — finally beat Mpasi on 76 minutes.

— Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 7 July 2026

Definition of cruelly

Adverb

An otherwise magical season for the New England Patriots ended rather harshly in Super Bowl LX.

— Chad Graff, New York Times, 9 July 2026
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

Definition of harshly

Adverb

After the Women’s Health Initiative published its landmark findings in 2002, public and clinical attitudes toward hormone therapy shifted sharply, priming a generation of women to look for non-hormonal alternatives.

— Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 16 July 2026
Both states sharply limit non-competes, and California bans most outright.

— Sydney Lake, Fortune, 16 July 2026

Definition of sharply

Adverb

The person who died was taken to the shore severely injured and, despite CPR being administered, was pronounced dead, officials said.

— Tristan Maglunog, ABC News, 15 July 2026
When rescuers first met her, Rockalina’s eyes were sealed shut, her nails were severely overgrown, and cat hair had become tightly wrapped around one of her legs.

— Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 15 July 2026

Definition of severely

Adverb

Trump is acutely focused on perfecting his personal environment, whether that’s in Washington, DC, or on the presidential plane that flies him around the world.

— Shelby Talcott, semafor.com, 15 July 2026
However much any of us care, nobody feels failure and disappointment more acutely than those at the centre of it.

— Oliver Kay, New York Times, 15 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

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“Hurtfully.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hurtfully. Accessed 17 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of hurtfully

adverb

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