# add insult to injury

idiom · CEFR B2

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/add-insult-to-injury
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

To further a loss with mockery or indignity; to worsen an already unfavorable situation.

## Examples

- My car broke down, and then it started raining to add insult to injury.
- After losing the game, the referee gave me a penalty, which really added insult to injury.
- The company fired him without notice, and to add insult to injury, they refused to pay his final month of salary.

## Origin

From the Roman fabulist Phaedrus' fable of the bald man and the fly (1st century AD): the man slaps at a fly, misses, and hits his own head — the fly adds insult to injury. (disputed)

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.