sorer; sorest
1
a
: causing emotional pain or distress
a sore subject
b
: physically tender (as from overuse or injury) : feeling or affected by pain : achy
sore muscles
limped on a sore leg
felt sore all over
2
: attended by difficulties, hardship, or exertion
soreness
noun
1
: a localized sore spot on the body
especially
: one (such as an ulcer) with the tissues ruptured or abraded and usually with infection
2
: a source of pain or vexation : affliction
Synonyms
Adjective
Adverb
- achingly
- almighty
- archly
- awful
- awfully
- badly
- beastly
- blisteringly
- bone
- colossally
- corking
- cracking
- damn
- damned
- dang
- deadly
- desperately
- eminently
- enormously
- especially
- ever
- exceedingly
- exceeding
- extra
- extremely
- fabulously
- fantastically
- far
- fiercely
- filthy
- frightfully
- full
- greatly
- heavily
- highly
- hugely
- immensely
- incredibly
- intensely
- jolly
- majorly
- mightily
- mighty
- monstrous [chiefly dialect]
- mortally
- most
- much
- particularly
- passing
- rattling
- real
- really
- right
- roaring
- roaringly
- seriously
- severely
- so
- sorely
- spanking
- specially
- stinking
- such
- super
- supremely
- surpassingly
- terribly
- that
- thumping
- too
- unco
- uncommonly
- vastly
- very
- vitally
- way
- whacking
- wicked
- wildly
Examples of sore in a Sentence
Adjective
a dog limping on a sore leg
The patient has a sore throat.
That's a sore subject to bring up.
The discussion touched on a sore spot.
My neighbor is sore at me.
Are you still sore about what happened last night?
Noun
He has a sore on his lip.
Adverb
I was sore afraid we'd never make it home.
Recent Examples on the Web
Mindy Sink, The Denver Post, 12 Dec. 2024
On Sale 33% off $199 Buy Now On Amazon
$200 Buy Now on Target
$199 Buy Now on Best Buy
There’s bound to be someone on your list who would love to have a Theragun massage device to relieve their sore muscles.
—Mia Maguire, StyleCaster, 11 Dec. 2024
Sarah Bradley, Health, 15 Dec. 2024
According to the Garcia family’s lawsuit, someone at Arbors at Oregon told staff to log bed sores as different types of wounds so the facility’s quality measures score would not be impacted.
—Saleen Martin, USA TODAY, 28 Oct. 2024
Kells McPhillips, SELF, 26 July 2024
But down both starting centers Mitchell Robinson (ankle surgery) and Isaiah Hartenstein (sore left Achilles) as well as two key starters Julius Randle (dislocated right shoulder) and OG Anunoby (right elbow surgery), the Knicks came up short in a third straight game.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 14 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for sore 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Adjective
In the mountains, the Westin Riverfront Resort and Spa in Avon offers treatments for dry skin and sore muscles at Spa Anjali.
—Mindy Sink, The Denver Post, 12 Dec. 2024
On Sale 33% off $199 Buy Now On Amazon
$200 Buy Now on Target
$199 Buy Now on Best Buy
There’s bound to be someone on your list who would love to have a Theragun massage device to relieve their sore muscles.
—Mia Maguire, StyleCaster, 11 Dec. 2024
Noun
The three stages are flu-like illness, mouth sores, and skin rash.
—Sarah Bradley, Health, 15 Dec. 2024
According to the Garcia family’s lawsuit, someone at Arbors at Oregon told staff to log bed sores as different types of wounds so the facility’s quality measures score would not be impacted.
—Saleen Martin, USA TODAY, 28 Oct. 2024
Adverb
Overall, the Bear Elite Hybrid is a solid pick for sleepers who wake up sore in the lower back area, thanks to the bed’s high-gauge support coils in the center of the bed that hold up the lumbar area.
—Kells McPhillips, SELF, 26 July 2024
But down both starting centers Mitchell Robinson (ankle surgery) and Isaiah Hartenstein (sore left Achilles) as well as two key starters Julius Randle (dislocated right shoulder) and OG Anunoby (right elbow surgery), the Knicks came up short in a third straight game.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 14 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for sore
Dictionary Entries Near sore
Cite this Entry
“Sore.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sore. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
sore
1 of 3 adjective
ˈsō(ə)r 
ˈsȯ(ə)r
sorer; sorest
1
a
: causing pain or distress
a sore subject
b
: full of pain : tender
sore muscles
c
: hurt or red and swollen so as to be or seem painful
sore runny eyes
2
: accompanied by difficulties, hardship, or exertion
in a sore situation
3
: angry sense 1a
my friend is sore at me
soreness
noun
sore
2 of 3 noun1
: a sore spot on the body
especially
: one (as an ulcer) with the tissues broken and usually infected
2
: a cause of pain : affliction
sore
3 of 3 adverb
: sorely
Medical Definition
sore
1 of 2 adjective
sorer; sorest
: causing, characterized by, or affected with pain : painful
sore muscles
a sore wound
sorely
adverb
soreness
noun
sore
2 of 2 noun
: a localized sore spot on the body
especially
: one (as an ulcer) with the tissues ruptured or abraded and usually with infection
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