1
as in harmful
causing or capable of causing harm
the most hurtful thing you can do to this silk dress is put it in the dryer
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in painful
hard to accept or bear especially emotionally
her ex-husband said hurtful things that she could never forgive
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hurtful
During a 2008 interview with the Telegraph, Weaver recalled a hurtful remark that Inglis — who was regarded as a great beauty — had made about her daughter's appearance.
—
Ashley Hume, FOXNews.com, 20 Dec. 2025
Senior Rebecca Warner, who identifies as a lesbian, did not attend the meeting, but was approached by one student leaving the meeting who made a hurtful comment about her sexuality.
—Jennah Pendleton, Sacbee.com, 13 Dec. 2025
Osbourne wrapped up her rant on social media with one last point about the people who leave the hurtful comments on her page.
—Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 11 Dec. 2025
Erivo found such alterations hurtful.
—Zack Sharf, Variety, 24 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hurtful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hurtful
Adjective
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Some harmful varieties closely resemble edible mushrooms, even to experienced foragers.—
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On each phone, the lock screen image was a photo of a child who died young due to the harmful effects of social media.—
Adjective
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Proper skin preparation is key to making your wax sessions less painful.—
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The high fevers, hospitalizations, and dehydration that these illnesses cause can be painful and disruptive—and, with vaccines, avoidable.—
Adjective
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Rat poison, in Saban-speak, is what is detrimental to teams that start believing their hype and losing focus on the controllables like working as hard as possible every day.—
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So did the first-round bye really prove to be that detrimental?—
Adjective
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The forest had taught him that city dwellers could often be regulated by cruel and rather unpredictable codes.—
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That Maduro is a cruel dictator is clear; that Trump intends more than just his arrest (such as taking their oil) is equally clear.—
Adjective
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Davis’ injury is the latest — and potentially most damaging — blow in a Mavericks season defined by attrition.—
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After a damaging winter storm of rain, wind, and flooding, staff at Mountain High Resorts in Wrightwood have been working around the clock to prepare for reopening day on Saturday.—
Adjective
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Bipartisan harsh criticism Senators from both sides of the aisle blasted the investigation.—
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Common exfoliators and fine line-eliminators like retinol and glycolic acid are too harsh on my skin, but this serum utilizes lactic acid, which is far more gentle but just as potent.—
Adjective
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Pipes and sewers can be very dangerous for pets and wildlife and Roto-Rooter, with specialized equipment and personnel, has become a go-to call to save cats, dogs, turtles and more.—
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Ole Miss has enough dangerous weapons in quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, running back Kewan Lacy and wide receivers Harrison Wallace III, De’Zhaun Stribling and Deuce Alexander to make a tired defense pay.—
Adjective
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Public systems can be somewhat risk adverse.—
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Nekrasov said adverse weather conditions also left parts of several other regions without power, including Chernihiv, Kyiv, Ivano-Frankivsk and Zakarpattia.—
Cite this Entry
“Hurtful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hurtful. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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