hurting someone's feelings

Meaning

1. 1phrasefixed phrase

   making someone feel sad, upset, or embarrassed by what you say or do

   Grammar: Use it as a verb phrase: 'You are hurting my feelings.' The possessor changes: his, her, their, my, your.

   Patterns

   • hurt someone's feelings
   • without hurting someone's feelings
   • be afraid of hurting someone's feelings

   She didn't mean to hurt his feelings, but the joke went too far.

   Telling the truth is important, but you can do it without hurting someone's feelings.

   He apologized for hurting her feelings at the party.

Common combinations

hurt someone's feelings

I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings.

without hurting someone's feelings

She explained the problem without hurting anyone's feelings.

avoid hurting someone's feelings

He tried to avoid hurting his mother's feelings.

risk hurting someone's feelings

If you say that, you risk hurting her feelings.

Synonyms and how they differ

upsetting someone

This is broader: it can mean making someone worried or angry, not only sad.

offending someone

Offending suggests breaking a rule or causing anger; hurting feelings is more about emotional pain.

Opposites

Word family

hurt verb

to cause pain or emotional damage

hurtful adjective

causing emotional pain

feelings noun

a person's emotions

Commonly confused: hurting someone's feelings or hurting someone?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “hurting someone's feelings”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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