1
as in aching
causing or feeling bodily pain
my legs are sore after that long walk yesterday
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in angry
feeling or showing anger
promise not to get sore if I tell you what I really think of your new hairstyle?
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in cynical
having or showing deep-seated resentment
he's been sore ever since she insulted him
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in terribly
to a great degree
I was sore afraid we'd never make it home
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in swelling
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sore
Charna Flam, People.com, 15 Apr. 2025
Lee should help shore up the defense, which has been a sore spot this season.
—Betsy Helfand, Twin Cities, 12 Apr. 2025
Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Oct. 2023
For the Pacers, All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton (knee bruise), center Myles Turner (sore back) and backup point guard T.J. McConnell (sore back) are each questionable to play.
—Detroit Free Press, 11 Mar. 2023
Cathy Nelson, Verywell Health, 28 Mar. 2025
The water turned to blood, frogs swarmed, there was an itchy lice infestation, wild animals roamed the cities, the cows died, the people got boils (terrible sores on their skin), there were hail storms, swarms of locusts ate the crops, and the sun went away for three days.
—Holly Rizzuto Palker, Parents, 27 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sore
Adjective
The Mayo Clinic suggests a bag of ice on a swollen joint or sore muscle, or a swim in a cold lake, could be as beneficial.
—Charna Flam, People.com, 15 Apr. 2025
Lee should help shore up the defense, which has been a sore spot this season.
—Betsy Helfand, Twin Cities, 12 Apr. 2025
Adverb
Eventually, an infection in the sore reached Figueroa’s hip bone.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Oct. 2023
For the Pacers, All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton (knee bruise), center Myles Turner (sore back) and backup point guard T.J. McConnell (sore back) are each questionable to play.
—Detroit Free Press, 11 Mar. 2023
Noun
Check your feet regularly for cuts, sores, and other signs of infection.
—Cathy Nelson, Verywell Health, 28 Mar. 2025
The water turned to blood, frogs swarmed, there was an itchy lice infestation, wild animals roamed the cities, the cows died, the people got boils (terrible sores on their skin), there were hail storms, swarms of locusts ate the crops, and the sun went away for three days.
—Holly Rizzuto Palker, Parents, 27 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sore
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sore
Adjective
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Somebody Somewhere is tiny: a gorgeous, introspective, intimate story about a woman with devastatingly mundane problems whose chief obstacle is her own aching sense of grief and dislocation.—
Kathryn VanArendonk,
Vulture,
9 Dec. 2024
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In this novel about the shape-shifting nature of love, Parsons captures Kit’s grief in aching and honest terms.—
Annabel Gutterman,
TIME,
6 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
An angry man, the same one from earlier, bellows at Jackson as he is muscled off the ball, and there are more expletives as Chelsea pass it backwards after getting close to Everton’s penalty area.—
Simon Johnson,
New York Times,
28 Apr. 2025
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In 2010, under pressure over the healthcare overhaul that became known as Obamacare, a number of House Democrats skipped public events after facing angry town halls the previous summer.—
Steve Peoples and Thomas Beaumont,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Lee’s cynical cardsharp of a brother, Julius (Jacob Elordi), was meant to be part of that dream move, but the call of gambling takes Julius to Las Vegas instead.—
Robert Abele,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Apr. 2025
-
Now, posters are more cynical and there’s a fatalist bent to the conversations that wasn’t there before.—
Fortesa Latifi,
Rolling Stone,
22 Apr. 2025
Adverb
-
Our minds, for all their attunement to the nuances of the physical world—the subtle shifts in light, the micro-expressions that move on the faces of other people—are not terribly adept at perceiving those distinctions through the filters of airwaves and screens.—
Megan Garber,
The Atlantic,
29 Apr. 2025
-
This price isn't terribly juicy, hence the recommendation to wager a half-unit instead of a full unit.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
One analysis of studies on lymphatic drainage massage found that the procedure can help with swelling and recovery from musculoskeletal injuries, reducing pain and improving range of motion in patients.—
Korin Miller,
Flow Space,
29 Apr. 2025
-
Most kids will recover from measles, but infection can lead to dangerous complications such as pneumonia, blindness, brain swelling and death.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
There are still a lot of defensive warts to work out for a team that can get trapped in its own zone.—
Shayna Goldman,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2025
-
Vision Pro’s entertainment story is, while stellar, isn’t without some warts.—
Steven Aquino,
Forbes,
27 Nov. 2024
Adjective
-
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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Before the arrest, some indignant residents took to social media to speculate about a possible motive — alleging without proof that unscrupulous developers or even the city itself may have orchestrated the acts.—
Grace Toohey,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Apr. 2025
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And the prime minister of Greenland, Mute B. Egede, said in an indignant statement that there would be no meetings between U.S. officials and Greenland’s government.—
Tim Balk,
New York Times,
28 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sore.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sore. Accessed 4 May. 2025.
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