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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hurtful
These comments though likely not intended to be hurtful, can still impact you deeply.
—Justin Gest, Newsweek, 20 Jan. 2025
Heather went on to point out all the hurtful things the women have said about one another.
—Liza Esquibias, People.com, 16 Jan. 2025
While the internet rallied around the actor following the negative outpouring, the hurtful comments did what they were intended to do: try and shame Sydney Sweeney.
—Callum Booth, Forbes, 17 Dec. 2024
No one called me, which was so strange, and that was hurtful.
—Sydney Bucksbaum, EW.com, 10 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for hurtful 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hurtful
Adjective
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Researchers may have found that the tartaric acid in grapes and raisins is the substance which is harmful to dogs.— Justin Gest, Newsweek, 10 Feb. 2025
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Many invasive species end up in U.S. ecosystems when people release aquarium pets that are harmful to native species.— Kate Linderman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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In December 2019, Ljungberg was interim manager for a game against City that was bitterly painful for Arsenal.— Amy Lawrence, The Athletic, 3 Feb. 2025
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Expensive avocados, just in time for the Super Bowl For American consumers still exasperated by high grocery prices, a trade war with Canada and Mexico could be painful.— Paul Wiseman, Chicago Tribune, 2 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Tariffs are particularly detrimental to industries with complex supply chains, where goods cross the border multiple times as firms seek to turn inputs into final goods.— Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 5 Feb. 2025
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Cell tower opponents say wireless radiation can be detrimental to people’s health, particularly children.— Ashley Mackin Solomon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Immigrant advocates call those moves cruel and unnecessary.— Joel Rose, NPR, 8 Feb. 2025
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The current government’s purposeful misrepresentation and defamation of DEI in such a comprehensively cruel and malicious manner deserves nothing less than personal and communal outrage and resistance.— Dr. Tony Lux, Chicago Tribune, 8 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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But the idea of an inalienable Palestinian right to nation-state status is wobbly at best, and may be damaging to all sides.— Justin Gest, Newsweek, 11 Feb. 2025
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Burney adds that this plant can be potentially damaging to the heart.— Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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That question is particularly pointed in the case of the U. of C. Will its promotion of freedom of expression and inquiry prove in the end to have been a marketing strategy that can be discarded in the face of harsh political realities?— Jamie Kalven, Chicago Tribune, 2 Feb. 2025
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These durable, lidded resin containers are designed to keep items dry and safe from harsh winter weather.— Jené Luciani Sena, Fox News, 1 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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This feeds into Newcastle’s 2-0 advantage which, as another cliche tells us, is the most dangerous lead in football.— George Caulkin, The Athletic, 5 Feb. 2025
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This amount can weigh down trees and power lines — causing power outages — and make travel dangerous to borderline impossible.— Mary Gilbert, CNN, 5 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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The unions argue that the offer fails to consider possible adverse consequences to the government's ability to function; sets an arbitrarily short deadline; and is pretext for removing and replacing workers on an ideological basis, among other things.— Andrea Hsu, NPR, 6 Feb. 2025
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The study said adverse side effects and cost were the most common reasons patients stopped the drugs that were documented in clinical notes.— Annika Kim Constantino,Ashley Capoot, CNBC, 4 Feb. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near hurtful
Cite this Entry
“Hurtful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hurtful. Accessed 18 Feb. 2025.
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