Hurting — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

verb phrase adjective /ˈhərt/

Meaning & Definition of Hurting

Hurting (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
  4. to lack (something needed)
  5. to have sympathy or pity for (someone)

Hurting (phrase)

  1. to be very upset and unhappy

Hurting (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. causing or feeling bodily pain

    "a badly hurting finger kept her from writing neatly"

    similar: aching, achy, afflictive, nasty, painful, sore
    related: agonizing, excruciating, torturous, damaging, deleterious, detrimental, harmful, hurtful, injurious, noxious, pernicious, raw, tender, bleeding, burning, chafing, cramping, festering, itching, nagging, pinching, pricking, prickling, smarting, stinging, inflamed, swollen, grievous, severe, threatening, wounding
    opposite: indolent, painless
    near: curative, healing, helping, remedial

Hurting (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: aching, paining, smarting
    related: biting, bleeding, burning, chafing, cramping, festering, itching, nagging, pinching, pounding, racking, stinging, swelling, throbbing, tingling, twinging, agonizing, anguishing, suffering, afflicting, harrowing, tormenting, torturing

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

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

    similar: blemishing, bloodying, breaking, compromising, crabbing, crippling, crossing (up), damaging, defacing, disfiguring, endamaging, flawing, harming, impairing, injuring, marring, spoiling, vitiating
    related: deteriorating, enervating, enfeebling, undermining, weakening, eroding, scouring, washing out, wearing (away), blighting, tarnishing, denting, dinging, dinting, botching, gumming (up), queering, lacerating, wounding, disabling, hamstringing, laming, maiming, mangling, mutilating, tormenting, torturing, annihilating, banging up, bashing, battering, clobbering, crushing, dashing, decimating, demolishing, desolating, destroying, devastating, doing in, pulverizing, razing, ruining, scourging, shattering, smashing, tearing down, totaling, wasting, wiping out, wrecking
    opposite: doctoring, fixing, mending, patching, rebuilding, reconditioning, reconstructing, renovating, repairing, revamping
    near: curing, healing, helping, rectifying, rehabilitating, remedying, editing, remodeling, revising, ameliorating, bettering, enhancing, enriching, improving, meliorating, perfecting, refining

  3. to cause bodily damage to

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

    similar: damaging, harming, injuring, wounding
    related: battering, bloodying, blowing out, bruising, contusing, cutting, gashing, goring, lacerating, scalding, scarring, scathing, straining, tearing, creasing, grazing, nicking, crippling, hamstringing, laming, maiming, mangling, mutilating, abusing, afflicting, aggrieving, maltreating, tormenting, torturing, laying up, blemishing, impairing, marring, scraping, spoiling
    near: curing, fixing, healing, mending, remedying

  4. to feel deep sadness or mental pain

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

    similar: agonizing, anguishing, bleeding, grieving, mourning, sorrowing, suffering, eating one's heart out, tearing one's hair
    related: aching, longing (for), pining (away), sighing, smarting, racking, tormenting, torturing, bemoaning, bewailing, deploring, lamenting, ruing, bawling, blubbering, crying, groaning, howling, keening, moaning, sobbing, taking on, wailing, weeping, yammering, yowling, languishing, regretting
    near: beaming, cheering, crowing, delighting, exulting, glorying, joying, laughing, ravishing, rejoicing, triumphing, assuring, comforting, commiserating, consoling, reassuring, solacing, soothing, sympathizing

Related Entry: Hurt (verb)

Hurt is a different word from Hurting. The synonyms below are for hurt, not for hurting.

  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

Related Entry: Hurting (for) (verb)

Hurting (for) is a different word from Hurting. The synonyms below are for hurting (for), not for hurting.

  1. as in lacking

    similar: lacking, asking, begging, clamoring (for), crying (for), commanding, enjoining, exacting, insisting, pressing, questing, stipulating, entailing, involving, bearing, challenging, claiming, demanding, necessitating, needing, requiring, taking, wanting, warranting
    opposite: having, holding, owning, possessing

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Hurting

The most common words with a similar meaning to Hurting:

aching, achy, afflictive, nasty, painful, sore, paining, smarting, blemishing, bloodying, breaking, compromising, crabbing, crippling, crossing (up), damaging, defacing, disfiguring, endamaging, flawing, harming, impairing, injuring, marring, spoiling, vitiating, wounding, agonizing, anguishing, bleeding, grieving, mourning, sorrowing, suffering, eating one's heart out, tearing one's hair

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Hurting

Words with the opposite meaning of Hurting:

indolent, painless, doctoring, fixing, mending, patching, rebuilding, reconditioning, reconstructing, renovating, repairing, revamping

Related Words for Hurting

excruciating, torturous, deleterious, detrimental, harmful, hurtful, injurious, noxious, pernicious, raw, tender, burning, chafing, cramping, festering, itching, nagging, pinching, pricking, prickling, stinging, inflamed, swollen, grievous, severe, threatening, biting, pounding, racking, swelling

Near Antonyms of Hurting

curative, healing, helping, remedial, curing, rectifying, rehabilitating, remedying, editing, remodeling, revising, ameliorating, bettering, enhancing, enriching, improving, meliorating, perfecting, refining, beaming, cheering, crowing, delighting, exulting, glorying, joying, laughing, ravishing, rejoicing, triumphing

Word Forms of Hurting

Inflections: hurt, hurt for, hurting for, hurts for

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

Origin & Etymology of Hurting

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

Words & Phrases Containing Hurting

be hurting

Frequently Asked Questions about Hurting

What does "Hurting" mean?

"Hurting" means to inflict with physical pain, wound. As an a verb, a phrase and an adjective, it is defined as: to inflict with physical pain, wound. It has 5 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Hurting"?

Other words for "Hurting" include aching, achy, afflictive, nasty, painful, sore, paining and smarting. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Hurting" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Hurting"?

There are 163 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Hurting". Common alternatives include aching, achy, afflictive, nasty, painful, sore, paining, smarting, blemishing and bloodying.

What is the opposite of "Hurting"?

Antonyms of "Hurting" include indolent, painless, doctoring, fixing, mending, patching, rebuilding and reconditioning. Near antonyms include curative, healing, helping and remedial.

How do you use "Hurting" in a sentence?

Examples of "Hurting" in a sentence: "a badly hurting finger kept her from writing neatly"; "my head hurts"; "a bad sprain that really hurts".

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

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

How do you pronounce "Hurting"?

"Hurting" is pronounced /ˈhərt/.

What is the origin of the word "Hurting"?

"Hurting" comes from 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.