HURTS Synonyms: 252 Similar and Opposite Words

hurts 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of hurt

as in aches

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

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Relevance

as in damages

to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of don't worry that you'll hurt the new lawn by walking across it

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in injures

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in grieves

to feel deep sadness or mental pain I know you must be hurting from the cruel words they said

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hurts

2 of 2

noun

plural of hurt

as in pains

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in harms

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 hurts

Verb

Sure, the latter hurts the stats, but Daniels loved being able to close out the victory. — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 23 Aug. 2026 Yet YouTube has told creators cross-posting on its platform and Netflix hurts viewership on YouTube and conveys the idea that channels are deprioritizing the streaming platform as their primary distribution outlet. — Lucas Shaw, Fortune, 21 Aug. 2026 Diluting the term for expats not only hurts them, but also does a disservice to both the concepts of culture fatigue and culture whiplash. — Liz Guthridge, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026 The Balkanization of global trade and finance hurts countries such as the United States that rely heavily on massive foreign inflows. — Kenneth S. Rogoff, Foreign Affairs, 12 Aug. 2026 Damaging public safety equipment ultimately hurts the very communities this technology is there to help protect. — Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 6 Aug. 2026 Those competitors offer multi-user discounts, so LiveOne's omission of a family plan hurts it a bit more now that its individual rates have crept up. — Gabriel Zamora, PC Magazine, 28 July 2026 Some say moving a historic building from its original or longtime location hurts its integrity by removing it from its historic and physical context. — Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 23 July 2026 That flexibility helps when one partner needs to move money quickly and hurts when trust breaks down. — Ashley Lynch, Sacbee.com, 22 July 2026

Noun

That’s why losing her hurts so much Duncan Hines and Parton expanded the product line a year later, adding Dolly Parton's Buttermilk Biscuit Mix and Sweet Cornbread & Muffin Mix, plus a Fabulously Fudgy Brownie Mix and Caramel Turtle Brownie Mix. — Mike Snider, USA Today, 25 Aug. 2026 Both the people who were hurt and the people who caused those hurts had some amount of evolution. — Michelle Tea, Los Angeles Times, 25 June 2026 The wounds and humiliations of private life can rarely be redressed by law; literature offers a parallel tribunal in which those hurts are litigated and, if possible, imaginatively overcome. — Charlie Tyson, The Atlantic, 27 Apr. 2026 Modern play calling insists on going for it on fourth downs, particularly in the opponent’s territory, because converting on fourth down helps more than failing to convert on fourth down hurts. — Jason Lloyd, New York Times, 5 Feb. 2026 Work On Your Personal Relationships Work on your most significant personal relationship to shore up conflict, hurts and wounds, and turn it into one that is life-giving and energizing. — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for hurts

Verb

About one out of five people infected with West Nile virus develop symptoms such as fever, headache, body aches, joint pain, vomiting, or rash.

— Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 24 Aug. 2026
When a sick child should stay home Hoying recommends keeping kids home when illness includes fever, body aches, vomiting or diarrhea.

— Ashley Lynch, Charlotte Observer, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of aches

Verb

And one of the toughest critiques — that service damages mental health — doesn’t hold up.

— Tom Suozzi, Chicago Tribune, 24 Aug. 2026
Nuisance, negligence and harm to residents The largest set of claims in the lawsuit has to do with arguing that the data center damages residents’ health, futures and quality of life in the areas closest to the 400-acre hyperscale AI factory.

— Ilana Arougheti Updated August 14, Kansas City Star, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of damages

Verb

Travel could require boarding or pet-sitting expenses, while a dog that damages property or injures someone could create potential liability issues.

— Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 25 Aug. 2026
The heist goes wrong when one sister injures her back and ends up trapped on the second floor, setting off an increasingly frantic bid to get out before the homeowner comes home.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of injures

Verb

When reached by phone Tuesday morning, a woman who identified herself as Destiny’s mother declined to comment and requested privacy as the family grieves.

— Roni Jacobson, New York Daily News, 25 Aug. 2026
My heart grieves for someone so special to this world and such a good friend to me.

— Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of grieves

Noun

In cases that are considered to be too severe — such as when a pregnant woman at the center began experiencing labor pains — those individuals are airlifted to a nearby hospital.

— ABC News, ABC News, 28 Aug. 2026
California has taken pains to eliminate coal as a source of electricity, and this would be the first coal export terminal in California — or anywhere on the West Coast.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of pains

Noun

But publishers seem to think that music rightsholders may have a better chance at proving market harms than authors did.

— Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 31 Aug. 2026
Attorney General Kwame Raoul said Friday that the state will be using the money on programs meant to address the harms caused by social media.

— The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of harms

Verb

Especially the guy who bangs a wrecking ball against the historic East Wing to make room for an incongruous ballroom monstrosity, who mars the sacred Oval Office with gold glitter and paves over the lovely Rose Garden.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026
Jacob Whitehead Homophobic chant mars Mexico’s win Before the World Cup, the Mexican football federation launched a campaign that featured the heroes of the country’s 1986 World Cup side.

— Jack Lang, New York Times, 26 June 2026

Definition of mars

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hurts

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Style

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

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Synonyms of hurts

verb

noun

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