HURT Synonyms: 294 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'hurt' distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of hurt are damage , harm , impair , injure , and mar . While all these words mean "to affect injuriously," hurt implies inflicting a wound to the body or to the feelings. // hurt by their callous remarks

Q: When can 'damage' be used instead of 'hurt'?

Although the words damage and hurt have much in common, damage suggests injury that lowers value or impairs usefulness. // a table damaged in shipping

Q: When might 'harm' be a better fit than 'hurt'?

The words harm and hurt can be used in similar contexts, but harm often stresses the inflicting of pain, suffering, or loss. // careful not to harm the animals

Q: When could 'impair' be used to replace 'hurt'?

The words impair and hurt are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, impair suggests a making less complete or efficient by deterioration or diminution. // years of smoking had impaired his health

Q: When would 'injure' be a good substitute for 'hurt'?

While in some cases nearly identical to hurt , injure implies the inflicting of anything detrimental to one's looks, comfort, health, or success. // badly injured in an accident

Q: When is 'mar' a more appropriate choice than 'hurt'?

While the synonyms mar and hurt are close in meaning, mar applies to injury that spoils perfection (as of a surface) or causes disfigurement. // the text is marred by many typos

hurt 1 of 3

verb

ˈhərt

Definition of hurt

as in to ache

to feel or cause physical pain my head hurts a bad sprain that really hurts I hurt all over

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in to damage

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

as in to injure

to cause bodily damage to the common belief that reading in poor light hurts your eyes

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to grieve

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

hurt

2 of 3

adjective

as in injured

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

hurt

3 of 3

noun

as in distress

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

as in harm

something that causes loss or pain a totally baseless accusation that caused lasting hurt to his reputation

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word hurt distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of hurt are damage, harm, impair, injure, and mar. While all these words mean "to affect injuriously," hurt implies inflicting a wound to the body or to the feelings.

hurt by their callous remarks

When can damage be used instead of hurt?

Although the words damage and hurt have much in common, damage suggests injury that lowers value or impairs usefulness.

a table damaged in shipping

When might harm be a better fit than hurt?

The words harm and hurt can be used in similar contexts, but harm often stresses the inflicting of pain, suffering, or loss.

careful not to harm the animals

When could impair be used to replace hurt?

The words impair and hurt are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, impair suggests a making less complete or efficient by deterioration or diminution.

years of smoking had impaired his health

When would injure be a good substitute for hurt?

While in some cases nearly identical to hurt, injure implies the inflicting of anything detrimental to one's looks, comfort, health, or success.

badly injured in an accident

When is mar a more appropriate choice than hurt?

While the synonyms mar and hurt are close in meaning, mar applies to injury that spoils perfection (as of a surface) or causes disfigurement.

the text is marred by many typos

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of hurt

Verb

Smith’s streaming fraud didn’t just hurt platforms but genuine artists who share royalty pools on streaming services, the DOJ claimed. — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 7 Oct. 2026 The Hampton Falls Police Department said two people were seriously hurt after being hit by a car. — Matt Schooley, CBS News, 7 Oct. 2026

Adjective

They’re all better served by the heartfelt and humorous beats, rather than the heartfelt and hurt ones. — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 9 July 2026 Many of the hurt kids were at home when tear gas drifted in from streets where federal agents had deployed the chemical agent against crowds of protesters. — Lisa Song, ProPublica, 27 May 2026

Noun

The experience left him carrying significant anger, hurt and resentment toward both parents. — Ascend Agency, New York Daily News, 28 Sep. 2026 Far from the only injury news to dissect Horn and Jackson aren’t the only ones who left Cleveland hurt. — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 28 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for hurt

Recent Examples of Synonyms for hurt

Verb

Many infected people don’t get sick, but some experience fever, flu-like symptoms and — notoriously — aches.

— Mike Stobbe, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2026
My teeth ached and my pulse raced just walking into this everyday Halloween.

— Justin Davidson, Curbed, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of ache

Verb

Refineries in Russia have been destroyed or damaged by drone attacks.

— Matt Egan, CNN Money, 8 Oct. 2026
Workers included street signs and sidewalks, curbs and stretches of road damaged from the storm, from the heavy equipment that was brought in or trees falling, Kern said.

— Michelle L. Quinn, Chicago Tribune, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of damage

Verb

Not only does Jeong-yo have an emotional connection to his music performance that Pi-o struggles to find himself, but Pi-o has injured his pinky in the leadup to the final performance, thanks to his obsessive practicing.

— Kayti Burt, Time, 6 Oct. 2026
Someone else got stabbed, and two other people were allegedly injured.

— Bethy Squires, Vulture, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of injure

Verb

Pi-o grieves the death of his friend, unable to get out of bed for days.

— Kayti Burt, Time, 6 Oct. 2026
Shane Thomson, the high-risk security adviser who warned Hall, Zakrzewski and Kuvshynova not to go beyond the Kyiv city limits, joined the grieving parents in their lawsuit against Fox and Hall.

— David Folkenflik, NPR, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of grieve

Adjective

Jaylen Wright, who made his second NFL start as the replacement for injured Pro Bowler De’Von Achane, bobbled the kickoff, forcing the offense to start the critical drive on the 18-yard line.

— Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 4 Oct. 2026
Though Tesla didn’t make a link as part of the announcement, the update comes after a mass shooting which involved a Tesla charging station in Twin Falls, Idaho, on August 1, which left three dead and seven injured.

— Will McCurdy, PC Magazine, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of injured

Noun

However, as some researchers have pointed out, the available studies didn’t assess whether emotions are actually regulated through the chatbot, and therefore conflate distress relief with attachment.

— Pascal Vrticka, Scientific American, 4 Oct. 2026
In a statement made through Carey, the Mayich family said Bales should be looking into why the workout was allowed and why it wasn't stopped when players were in visible distress with no water or rest.

— ABC News, ABC News, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of distress

Noun

El Sayed acknowledged that both Israel and Iran could cause harm but refused twice to rank one as the greater threat.

— Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 9 Oct. 2026
Duhamel and Asprey also discussed the FDA’s black box warning on testosterone, which has been in place since the 1970s and signals that a drug could cause serious harm.

— Samantha Agate, Kansas City Star, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of harm

Verb

As someone who deals with an immense amount of scrutiny regarding his own appearance, Davidson is pained to see the vitriol another ex, Grande, has been subjected to of late.

— Marlow Stern, Variety, 30 Sep. 2026
Falling asleep on a plane, train, or long road trip without proper neck alignment can quickly lead to pain you’d rather avoid on vacation.

— Kaitlin Gates, Travel + Leisure, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of pain

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Style

“Hurt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hurt. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of hurt

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adjective

noun

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