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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hurtful
Carlton Collins, who confronted the demonstrators on Friday, said Lincoln Heights' history is what made Friday so hurtful.
—
David Ferrara, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025
The reaction was swift and hurtful, with many critics accusing Pulisic of turning his back on his country.
—Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2025
Dear Eric: Nearly eight months ago, my 81-year-old brother lashed out saying hateful and hurtful things about our youngest sister.
—R. Eric Thomas, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2025
The rhetoric depicting immigrants as criminals has been hurtful to many community members, clergy members told the Journal Sentinel.
—Sophie Carson, jsonline.com, 3 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for hurtful
David Ferrara, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025
The reaction was swift and hurtful, with many critics accusing Pulisic of turning his back on his country.
—Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2025
Dear Eric: Nearly eight months ago, my 81-year-old brother lashed out saying hateful and hurtful things about our youngest sister.
—R. Eric Thomas, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2025
The rhetoric depicting immigrants as criminals has been hurtful to many community members, clergy members told the Journal Sentinel.
—Sophie Carson, jsonline.com, 3 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for hurtful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hurtful
Adjective
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That might help researchers discover which technology helps what kinds of people best and which makes no impact or is harmful to brain health.—
Nicole Villalpando,
Austin American Statesman,
30 July 2025
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McNair said any delay in response from school officials and emergency responders are especially harmful.—
Edward Lee,
Baltimore Sun,
29 July 2025
Adjective
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Higher temperatures can be too hot for a dog’s paw pads and, in some cases, can cause painful burns.—
Cody Godwin,
USA Today,
22 July 2025
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The tents are overrun by mosquitoes and other large insects, subjecting people to frequent and painful insect bites.—
Steve Bousquet,
The Orlando Sentinel,
22 July 2025
Adjective
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The platform was recently accused by several state attorneys general of implementing addictive features across its family of apps that have detrimental effects on children’s mental health.—
Zach Vallese,
CNBC,
23 July 2025
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Water is a systemic need for plants of all types; however, too much water, whether supplied by rain or irrigation, is detrimental.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
20 July 2025
Adjective
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In an inordinately cowardly and cruel act, Rubio stayed away from the department that day, ignoring the men and women whose careers and life plans were decimated by his flippant decision-making.—
Lynn Northcutt Vega,
Sun Sentinel,
29 July 2025
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A little more than a year ago, the U.S. Supreme Court reversed a decision from the Ninth Circuit that determined a ban on people sleeping in public was constitutionally cruel and unusual.—
Natalie Eilbert,
jsonline.com,
29 July 2025
Adjective
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Expose how these programs and their curriculum are damaging and not aligned with state workforce demands.—
Lily Kepner,
Austin American Statesman,
30 July 2025
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Despite the initial euphoria on European stock markets, strategists at UBS suggest the deal is likely to be damaging in the long run.—
Ganesh Rao,
CNBC,
28 July 2025
Adjective
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The harsh reality is this: not all cell phone forensic extractions are created equal, and the most important evidence for trucking cases on the smartphone will be gone in days or weeks.—
Lars Daniel,
Forbes.com,
22 July 2025
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Late-night talk shows across the board are facing the harsh reality that declines in ad revenue can’t make up for burgeoning production costs.—
Liam Reilly,
CNN Money,
22 July 2025
Adjective
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More dangerous heat waves The Great Lakes region warmed substantially faster in the six years since the last assessment than it did in decades prior, the report shows.—
Caitlin Looby,
jsonline.com,
24 July 2025
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Here's what each means, according to the NWS: Heat advisory: A heat advisory is the lowest level and is issued for dangerous heat conditions that are not expected to reach the criteria for a more serious alert.—
Chad Murphy,
The Enquirer,
24 July 2025
Adjective
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The team identified three distinct behavioral phenotypes as a result of their experiments, representing the varying sensitivity of people to the adverse consequences (punishment) of their actions.—
Jennifer Ouellette,
ArsTechnica,
24 July 2025
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Without such data, the systems can serve adverse, false results or fail to understand the context of a user’s query, among other issues.—
Meghan Hall,
Sourcing Journal,
22 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hurtful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hurtful. Accessed 5 Aug. 2025.
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