Meaning & use
hurtful
Causing emotional pain, distress, or offense, especially through words or actions.
See it in a sentence
His hurtful comments about her work left her in tears.
It's hurtful to be excluded from plans your close friends are making.
A note on using this word
Hurtful usually describes emotional rather than physical pain, often caused deliberately or thoughtlessly by another person.
Words with a similar meaning
woundingcuttingupsetting
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
Make it your own
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