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
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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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
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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
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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
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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
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Like many things in life, trying to fix something later is much more painful.—
Kevin Campbell,
Forbes.com,
29 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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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
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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
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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
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But this is the cruel and unreasonable state of this Administration's deportation policy.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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More studies will have to determine just how damaging microplastics truly are to fertility.—
Melissa Willets,
Parents,
24 Apr. 2025
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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
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So, designing the model's apparent personality to be positive and supportive makes sense—people are less likely to use an AI that comes off as harsh or dismissive.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
29 Apr. 2025
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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
Adjective
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Harvard-Westlake, last year’s Division 1 runner-up, is still dangerous with sophomore pitcher Justin Kirchner (7-0) and junior center fielder James Tronstein.—
Eric Sondheimer,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Apr. 2025
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Activists have criticized clearing acres of trees, said that a firing range on campus could be dangerous and that the project would change the Matthews campus’ culture for the worse.—
Ryan Oehrli,
Charlotte Observer,
30 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The result is potential adverse effects on the health, cognition, and well-being of older users and missed opportunities for support.—
Diana Spehar,
Forbes.com,
1 May 2025
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Sometimes this can be dangerous and cause serious adverse effects.—
Jamie Johnson,
Verywell Health,
1 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hurtful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hurtful. Accessed 4 May. 2025.
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