Hurt — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

verb noun adjective /ˈhərt/

Meaning & Definition of Hurt

Hurt (verb)

  1. to inflict with physical pain, wound
  2. to do substantial or material harm to, damage
  3. to cause emotional pain or anguish to, offend

Hurt (noun)

  1. a cause of injury or damage, blow
  2. a bodily injury or wound
  3. mental or emotional distress or anguish, suffering

Hurt (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to feel or cause physical pain

    "my head hurts"

    "a bad sprain that really hurts"

    "I hurt all over"

    similar: ache, pain, smart
    related: bite, bleed, burn, chafe, cramp, fester, itch, nag, pinch, pound, rack, sting, swell, throb, tingle, twinge, agonize, anguish, suffer, afflict, harrow, torment, torture

  2. to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of

    "don't worry that you'll hurt the new lawn by walking across it"

    similar: blemish, bloody, break, compromise, crab, cripple, cross (up), damage, deface, disfigure, endamage, flaw, harm, impair, injure, mar, spoil, vitiate
    related: deteriorate, enervate, enfeeble, undermine, weaken, erode, scour, wash out, wear (away), blight, tarnish, dent, ding, dint, botch, gum (up), queer, lacerate, wound, disable, hamstring, lame, maim, mangle, mutilate, torment, torture, annihilate, bang up, bash, batter, clobber, crush, dash, decimate, demolish, desolate, destroy, devastate, do in, pulverize, raze, ruin, scourge, shatter, smash, tear down, total, waste, wipe out, wreck
    opposite: doctor, fix, mend, patch, rebuild, recondition, reconstruct, renovate, repair, revamp
    near: cure, heal, help, rectify, rehabilitate, remedy, edit, remodel, revise, ameliorate, better, enhance, enrich, improve, meliorate, perfect, refine

  3. to cause bodily damage to

    "the common belief that reading in poor light hurts your eyes"

    similar: damage, harm, injure, wound
    related: batter, bloody, blow out, bruise, contuse, cut, gash, gore, lacerate, scald, scar, scathe, strain, tear, crease, graze, nick, cripple, hamstring, lame, maim, mangle, mutilate, abuse, aggrieve, afflict, maltreat, torment, torture, lay up, blemish, impair, mar, scrape, spoil
    near: cure, fix, heal, mend, remedy

  4. to feel deep sadness or mental pain

    "I know you must be hurting from the cruel words they said"

    similar: agonize, anguish, bleed, grieve, mourn, sorrow, suffer, eat one's heart out, tear one's hair
    related: ache, long (for), pine (away), sigh, smart, rack, torment, torture, bemoan, bewail, deplore, lament, rue, bawl, blubber, cry, groan, howl, keen, moan, sob, take on, wail, weep, yammer, yowl, languish, regret
    near: beam, cheer, crow, delight, exult, glory, joy, laugh, ravish, rejoice, triumph, assure, comfort, commiserate, console, reassure, solace, soothe, sympathize

Hurt (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. as in broken, injured

    similar: blemished, broken, crippled, damaged, defaced, disfigured, harmed, impaired, injured, marred, spoiled, vitiated, fallible, deficient, inadequate, incomplete, insufficient, wanting, amiss, bad, defective, faulty, flawed, imperfect
    opposite: faultless, flawless, impeccable, perfect, complete, entire, intact, whole, unblemished, undamaged, unimpaired, unspoiled

Hurt (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. 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"

    similar: affliction, agony, anguish, distress, excruciation, misery, pain, rack, strait(s), torment, torture, travail, tribulation, woe
    related: discomfort, cross, crucible, trial, heartache, heartbreak, joylessness, sadness, sorrow, unhappiness, emergency, pinch, asperity, difficulty, hardship, rigor, ache, pang, smarting, soreness, stitch, throe, twinge, danger, jeopardy, trouble
    near: comfort, consolation, solace, alleviation, assuagement, ease, relief, peace, security, well-being

  2. something that causes loss or pain

    "a totally baseless accusation that caused lasting hurt to his reputation"

    similar: affliction, damage, detriment, harm, injury
    related: disservice, injustice, outrage, wrong, affront, dart, indignity, insult, offense, beating, crippling, mayhem, mutilation, defacement, disability, disablement, disfigurement, impairment, lesion, rupture, strain, abrasion, chafe, scrape, scratch, boo-boo, bruise, contusion, swelling, wound, bump, concussion, cut, gash, laceration, burn, scald, scar, scathe, sear
    near: healing, recovery, cure, fix, remedy

Related Entry: Hurt (for) (verb)

Hurt (for) is a different word from Hurt. The synonyms below are for hurt (for), not for hurt.

  1. as in lack

    similar: lack, ask, beg, clamor (for), cry (for), command, enjoin, exact, insist, press, quest, stipulate, entail, involve, bear, challenge, claim, demand, necessitate, need, require, take, want, warrant
    opposite: have, hold, own, possess

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Hurt

The most common words with a similar meaning to Hurt:

ache, pain, smart, blemish, bloody, break, compromise, crab, cripple, cross (up), damage, deface, disfigure, endamage, flaw, harm, impair, injure, mar, spoil, vitiate, wound, agonize, anguish, bleed, grieve, mourn, sorrow, suffer, eat one's heart out, tear one's hair, blemished, broken, crippled, damaged, defaced, disfigured, harmed, impaired, injured

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Hurt

Words with the opposite meaning of Hurt:

doctor, fix, mend, patch, rebuild, recondition, reconstruct, renovate, repair, revamp, faultless, flawless, impeccable, perfect, complete, entire, intact, whole, unblemished, undamaged, unimpaired, unspoiled

Related Words for Hurt

bite, burn, chafe, cramp, fester, itch, nag, pinch, pound, sting, swell, throb, tingle, twinge, afflict, harrow, deteriorate, enervate, enfeeble, undermine, weaken, erode, scour, wash out, wear (away), blight, tarnish, dent, ding, dint

Near Antonyms of Hurt

cure, heal, help, rectify, rehabilitate, remedy, edit, remodel, revise, ameliorate, better, enhance, enrich, improve, meliorate, refine, beam, cheer, crow, delight, exult, glory, joy, laugh, ravish, rejoice, triumph, assure, comfort, commiserate

Word Forms of Hurt

Inflections: hurting

Derived words: hurt (adjective), hurter (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Hurt

Middle English, probably from Anglo-French hurter to strike, prick, collide with, probably of Germanic origin; akin to Old Norse hrūtr male sheep

First known use: 13th centuryt

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Hurt

Words & Phrases Containing Hurt

hurt feelings, hurt for, hurt someone's feelings, it couldn't/can't hurt, it doesn't hurt, it won't hurt, it wouldn't hurt, put the/a hurt on

Frequently Asked Questions about Hurt

What does "Hurt" mean?

"Hurt" means to inflict with physical pain, wound. As an a verb, a noun and an adjective, it is defined as: to inflict with physical pain, wound. It has 7 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Hurt"?

Other words for "Hurt" include ache, pain, smart, blemish, bloody, break, compromise and crab. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Hurt" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Hurt"?

There are 226 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Hurt". Common alternatives include ache, pain, smart, blemish, bloody, break, compromise, crab, cripple and cross (up).

What is the opposite of "Hurt"?

Antonyms of "Hurt" include doctor, fix, mend, patch, rebuild, recondition, reconstruct and renovate. Near antonyms include cure, heal, help and rectify.

How do you use "Hurt" in a sentence?

Examples of "Hurt" in a sentence: "my head hurts"; "a bad sprain that really hurts"; "I hurt all over".

Is "Hurt" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Hurt" can be used as a verb, a noun and an adjective, depending on the context.

Is "Hurt" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As an A2-level word, "Hurt" is typical of Cambridge A2 Key (KET), PTE Academic 30–42, TOEIC Listening & Reading 225+.

How do you pronounce "Hurt"?

"Hurt" is pronounced /ˈhərt/.