Meaning & use
bruised
Last updated
“bruised” is a form of “bruise”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
adjectivenot comparable
having a dark, painful mark on the skin caused by a blow or fall
Grammar: Used before a noun or after a linking verb: a bruised knee; her knee was bruised.
Patterns
- be bruised
- a bruised arm/leg/face
- badly bruised
After the fall, his whole left side was bruised.
She had a bruised cheek and a cut lip.
The player was badly bruised but able to walk off the field.
adjectivenot comparable
damaged with soft, dark spots, as fruit does when it is hit or dropped
Grammar: Usually describes fruit or vegetables: bruised apples, a bruised peach.
Patterns
- bruised fruit
- a bruised apple/banana
We made jam with the bruised peaches from the bottom of the box.
Bruised bananas are still good for baking.
verbtransitive or intransitive
past tense and past participle of 'bruise': to cause a dark mark on the skin, or to get such a mark
Grammar: As a verb, it can take an object (she bruised her arm) or not (her arm bruised easily).
Patterns
- bruise something
- something bruises
- be bruised by something
He bruised his shoulder when he fell off his bike.
The fruit bruised during shipping.
Her legs bruise very easily.
adjectivenot comparablefigurative
feeling hurt or upset, especially after a failure or criticism
Grammar: Often used with 'ego' or 'feelings': a bruised ego.
Patterns
- a bruised ego
- bruised feelings
He needed a few days to recover from his bruised ego.
There were bruised feelings on both sides after the argument.
Word forms
| base form | bruise |
|---|---|
| third person singular | bruises |
| past tense | bruised |
| past participle | bruised |
| -ing form | bruising |
Common combinations
- badly bruised
- His arm was badly bruised after the accident.
- bruised and battered
- The old car looked bruised and battered after the race.
- bruised fruit
- The grocery store sells bruised fruit at a lower price.
- bruised ego
- He didn't come to the party because of his bruised ego.
- bruised easily
- She bruises easily, so even small bumps show up.
Synonyms and how they differ
- black and blue
- This phrase describes being covered with many bruises, often more severe than just 'bruised'.
- sore
- Sore means painful, but it does not necessarily mean there is a visible bruise.
- injured
- Injured is a general word for any harm to the body, while bruised specifically means having a bruise.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: bruised or browsed?
bruised vs browsed
Browsed means looked through something casually, as in 'browsed the internet'. It sounds similar but has a different meaning.
Practice
Choose the sentence where 'bruised' is used correctly.
Choose one answer.
'Bruise' is a verb that can take an object: she bruised her knee. Option 2 is wrong because 'bruise' is not followed by 'on' in this pattern. Options 3 and 4 use incorrect verb forms.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “bruised”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.