as in aching
causing or feeling bodily pain
a badly hurting finger kept her from writing neatly
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in throbbing
to feel or cause physical pain
my head hurts a bad sprain that really hurts I hurt all over
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in damaging
to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of
don't worry that you'll hurt the new lawn by walking across it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in injuring
to cause bodily damage to
the common belief that reading in poor light hurts your eyes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in grieving
to feel deep sadness or mental pain
I know you must be hurting from the cruel words they said
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hurting
Catie Dull, NPR, 10 May 2026
Once your feet start hurting, everything else suffers.
—Chantelle Kincy, Travel + Leisure, 10 May 2026
Cost of living, public safety and border security are hurting working families.
—Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 May 2026
Jones surrendered without hurting anyone in the house on Dawnview Court.
—Rick Hurd, Mercury News, 8 May 2026
And be terrified of squandering it and hurting themselves much more than limiting player salaries would help them.
—Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 7 May 2026
Farmers are hurting, and every American has a stake in their future.
—The Virginian Pilot and Daily Press Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 3 May 2026
Yet some analysts say the loss of a full-fledged airline, especially a budget one like Spirit, would also end up hurting consumers — not to mention its approximately 17,000 employees.
—Jay Blackman, NBC news, 1 May 2026
But Gilcrease said many farmers are concerned about paying so much at a time when their businesses are already hurting because of low crop prices and other factors.
—Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2026
Verb
Four out of five Republicans say gas prices are hurting their budgets too, according to the same NPR/PBS/Marist poll.
—Catie Dull, NPR, 10 May 2026
Once your feet start hurting, everything else suffers.
—Chantelle Kincy, Travel + Leisure, 10 May 2026
Cost of living, public safety and border security are hurting working families.
—Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 May 2026
Jones surrendered without hurting anyone in the house on Dawnview Court.
—Rick Hurd, Mercury News, 8 May 2026
And be terrified of squandering it and hurting themselves much more than limiting player salaries would help them.
—Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 7 May 2026
Farmers are hurting, and every American has a stake in their future.
—The Virginian Pilot and Daily Press Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 3 May 2026
Yet some analysts say the loss of a full-fledged airline, especially a budget one like Spirit, would also end up hurting consumers — not to mention its approximately 17,000 employees.
—Jay Blackman, NBC news, 1 May 2026
But Gilcrease said many farmers are concerned about paying so much at a time when their businesses are already hurting because of low crop prices and other factors.
—Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hurting
Adjective
-
Charles Frazier, Cold Mountain (1997) Charles Frazier’s Cold Mountain is an aching, tender slow burn shaped by absence.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Apr. 2026
-
The dramatic and aching second movement, according to Egarr, may have been a love letter to one of Beethoven’s romantic interests.—
Sheila Regan,
Twin Cities,
21 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Mothballs have been used in one form or another since the 1800s, primarily as a means to prevent insects and rodents from damaging clothes.—
Samantha Johnson,
Martha Stewart,
9 May 2026
-
The robot pledged to respect and follow humans, refrain from damaging property or other robots, abstain from deceptive behavior and save energy by not overcharging.—
Brittany Miller,
FOXNews.com,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
Based on preliminary data from the CHP’s Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System, more than 110,000 crashes resulted from unsafe speeds, leading to more than 400 deaths and injuring more than 68,000 people, the agency said.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
-
As Sousa-Martins drove forward, another agent shot at him 13 times, injuring Sousa-Martins as well as Solomon Antonio Serrano-Esquivel, a passenger in one of the ICE vehicles who was already in federal custody.—
Lily Carey,
Baltimore Sun,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The teen's grieving family has launched an online fundraiser to help with funeral expenses.—
Shaddi Abusaid,
AJC.com,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Two siblings are grieving the loss of their parents, identified in an online post as victims of the shooting.—
Karen Garcia,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
His two more physical characters were delightful to watch, like a navy admiral addicted to spit takes, as well as a substitute teacher subjecting his students to painful dancing.—
Rima Parikh,
Vulture,
10 May 2026
-
The global outbreak of the coronavirus and its painful memories are very much at the forefront of peoples minds here in Tenerife, where local leaders have vehemently contested the disembarkation, and some of the local population has gathered in protest over the past few days.—
Vasco Cotovio,
CNN Money,
10 May 2026
Verb
-
Ancient lava fields can be seen as dark lunar maria marring the silvery lunar surface, which themselves are threaded with bright streaks of reflective debris strewn across the surface by violent asteroid strikes.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
2 Apr. 2026
-
The demoralizing graffiti marring the main entrance to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at 360 Lenox Ave.—
Colin Mixson,
New York Daily News,
12 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Now, he is accused of killing Chicago Police Officer John Bartholomew and gravely wounding another.—
Michael Tobin,
FOXNews.com,
7 May 2026
-
Prosecutors in Florida are investigating whether Open AI's Chat GPT helped a Florida State University student accused of killing two people and wounding several others after opening fire on campus last year.—
Megan De Mar,
CBS News,
5 May 2026
Verb
-
Gen Curtis King, commanding general of the 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command, said his troops are mourning Key’s loss.—
Molly Parks,
The Washington Examiner,
10 May 2026
-
Spirit was long the butt of jokes for its bare-bones operations, but the flying faithful were mourning the loss.—
Robert Abitbol,
USA Today,
9 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hurting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hurting. Accessed 13 May. 2026.
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