1
as in aches
to feel or cause physical pain
my head hurts a bad sprain that really hurts I hurt all over
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in damages
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 injures
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 grieves
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
1
as in pains
a state of great suffering of body or mind
in her hurt she said a lot of things to her boyfriend that she didn't really mean
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in harms
something that causes loss or pain
a totally baseless accusation that caused lasting hurt to his reputation
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hurts
Abigail Van Buren, Boston Herald, 31 Jan. 2026
And what hurts us much more is not writing.
—Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 2026
Everything hurts, in a weird way.
—Stephanie Petit, PEOPLE, 29 Jan. 2026
This policy disproportionately hurts low-income residents.
—U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Jan. 2026
The departure of coach Kyle Whittingham hurts a football program that has been consistently good for a decade.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Jan. 2026
In some ways, Philadelphia hurts Philadelphia.
—Zach Berman, New York Times, 27 Jan. 2026
Your partner understands what hurts you, but that understanding does not find its way into their choices.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026
In seismic papers, Borjas’s research described the drawbacks of immigration, including his oft-cited, though much-disputed, findings that the arrival of lower-skilled immigrants hurts American workers who compete for jobs, especially poor people and African Americans.
—Lauren Kaori Gurley, Washington Post, 7 Jan. 2026
Anna Holmes, The Atlantic, 22 Jan. 2026
Work On Your Personal Relationships Work on your most significant personal relationship to shore up conflict, hurts and wounds, and turn it into one that is life-giving and energizing.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2025
Verb
Stifling them hurts my back and stomach muscles.
—Abigail Van Buren, Boston Herald, 31 Jan. 2026
And what hurts us much more is not writing.
—Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 2026
Everything hurts, in a weird way.
—Stephanie Petit, PEOPLE, 29 Jan. 2026
This policy disproportionately hurts low-income residents.
—U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Jan. 2026
The departure of coach Kyle Whittingham hurts a football program that has been consistently good for a decade.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Jan. 2026
In some ways, Philadelphia hurts Philadelphia.
—Zach Berman, New York Times, 27 Jan. 2026
Your partner understands what hurts you, but that understanding does not find its way into their choices.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026
In seismic papers, Borjas’s research described the drawbacks of immigration, including his oft-cited, though much-disputed, findings that the arrival of lower-skilled immigrants hurts American workers who compete for jobs, especially poor people and African Americans.
—Lauren Kaori Gurley, Washington Post, 7 Jan. 2026
Noun
Being rejected hurts, and finding success may not erase the emotional residue of all those prior rebuffs.
—Anna Holmes, The Atlantic, 22 Jan. 2026
Work On Your Personal Relationships Work on your most significant personal relationship to shore up conflict, hurts and wounds, and turn it into one that is life-giving and energizing.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hurts
Verb
-
This loss is unexpected and surreal, and my heart aches… for his family, for his wife, for his children, for his friends, and for all of us who were blessed to know him.—
Christine Imarenezor,
VIBE.com,
15 Jan. 2026
-
This loss is unexpected and surreal and my heart aches… for his family, for his wife, for his children, for his friends, and for all of us who were blessed to know him.—
Michael Saponara,
Billboard,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
What damages a human being is sin.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
-
The progressive disease damages the protective cover around nerves called myelin in your central nervous system, according to the Cleveland Clinic.—
Virginia Chamlee,
PEOPLE,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Bystander videos, like the ones taken of Pretti, have played a key role for decades in informing the public when law enforcement kills or injures people.—
Ava Berger,
NPR,
28 Jan. 2026
-
California law already criminalizes unsafe gun storage in certain situations, including when a child accesses a firearm and injures or kills someone.—
Grant Stringer,
Mercury News,
29 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
In an emotional video posted Thursday, Kim thanked supporters for their prayers and asked for privacy as his family grieves.—
Emma Bussey,
FOXNews.com,
2 Jan. 2026
-
Neytiri grieves the loss of her home and her tribe and resents Jake for it.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
16 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
My adolescence was an ordinary one, its joys and pains small.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
2 Feb. 2026
-
Melania takes pains to include many shots of her and Donald acting like a loving couple, which threatens to take the film out of the realm of nonfiction.—
Frank Scheck,
HollywoodReporter,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
In June, she was invited to appear before the Federal Trade Commission as a panelist to explain the harms of PGM from a consumer fraud perspective.—
Mia Cathell,
The Washington Examiner,
31 Jan. 2026
-
The concept of intersectionality, introduced by the law professor Kimberlé Crenshaw, reveals the particularly acute harms inflicted on groups that are at the intersection of multiple oppressions.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Pain that is not a word throbs in his shoulders, awakens him each morning.—
Rosa Lyster,
Harpers Magazine,
6 Jan. 2026
-
While the game is played across the country, its pulse throbs in Rio.—
Michal Ruprecht,
NPR,
28 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
The picture exudes both grace and vulnerability, and hints at imperfection by way of a disconcerting, coral-like wrinkle that mars the foot’s heel.—
Chris Wiley,
New Yorker,
20 Dec. 2025
-
Deadly holiday weekend mars broad crime drop The back-and-forth followed a Labor Day weekend of deadly violence in Chicago worse than in the previous two years, with seven people shot to death, according to preliminary Chicago Police Department reports.—
Andy Rose,
CNN Money,
3 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hurts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hurts. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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