BRUISING Synonyms: 129 Similar and Opposite Words

bruising 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of bruising

as in oppressive

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Relevance

Dissimilar Words

bruising

2 of 2

verb

present participle of bruise

as in lacerating

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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 bruising

Adjective

Marcus ends her book by wondering whether the neutral ideal of the court can survive the bruising battle of Kavanaugh’s confirmation process. — John Fabian Witt, The New Republic, 7 Apr. 2020 The University of Maryland, College Park has been at the center of most of the bruising scandals, most notably the death of a 19-year-old football player Jordan McNair and ensuing reports of a troubled culture within the athletic department. — Talia Richman, baltimoresun.com, 9 Nov. 2019 Even Mr Macron’s domestic standing has started to recover, having taken a bruising soon after coming into office. — The Economist, 7 Nov. 2019 Adding to the challenges for Chief Justice Roberts, the Supreme Court’s latest term, which ended in June, was particularly bruising and divisive. — Jess Bravin, WSJ, 7 Oct. 2018 See All Example Sentences for bruising

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bruising

Adjective

Among those waiting to meet the president was Leon Czolgosz, a 28-year-old anarchist who considered the government oppressive.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 Aug. 2026
People seem to be craving the scent of something cooling and quenching, an olfactive promise that less oppressive weather lies ahead.

— April Long, Allure, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of oppressive

Verb

Two generations of viewers have now grown up consuming The Daily Show’s lacerating take on politics.

— Chris Smith, Vanity Fair, 13 July 2026
In the last year, Huston has broken his eye socket — twice — and his jaw, as well as lacerating his kidney, per posts on his social media.

— Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 28 June 2026

Definition of lacerating

Adjective

The death toll from severe flooding along the Nepal-China border on Wednesday has climbed to 762 in Nepal, local police said, as rescue crews scour devastated neighborhoods for survivors.

— Bhadra Sharma, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2026
The bleeding was severe, her blood pressure plummeted, her breathing and heart function stopped.

— Michael Collins, USA Today, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of severe

Adjective

But for millions of people juggling demanding jobs, caring for children, recovering from injuries, managing chronic pain or simply trying to make it through another exhausting day, regular workouts aren't always realistic.

— Daryl Austin, USA Today, 25 Aug. 2026
The death of Marshall’s dad was an emotionally exhausting arc that also brought out the best in the gang.

— Erin Strecker, Entertainment Weekly, 22 Aug. 2026

Definition of exhausting

Verb

Former executive chairman Daniel Levy had a reputation for haggling over deals, sometimes allowing rival clubs to steal transfer targets from them.

— Jay Harris, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026
The 1967 drama is about estranged brothers who are forced to deal with each other while haggling over the sale of their recently deceased father’s furniture to a dealer.

— Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 1 Aug. 2026

Definition of haggling

Verb

Hacking incident Hugging Face was recently at the center of a hacking incident that raised concerns about the rapid evolution of powerful AI and cybersecurity tools.

— April Roach, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2026
In this case, the reward was solving the ExploitGym questions and the hacking was literally hacking—cheating on the test and then hacking into Hugging Face in an effort to cover up the cheating (more on that below).

— Emily Forlini, Fortune, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of hacking

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bruises

bruising

bruit

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“Bruising.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bruising. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of bruising

adjective

verb

Example Sentences

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