ENGLISH
REFERENCE

hurt someone's feelings

idiom
Meaning

To offend or emotionally hurt someone.


Examples
SIMPLE

I did not mean to hurt your feelings.

CONTEXTUAL

She chose her words carefully because she did not want to hurt his feelings after his bad performance.

COMPLEX

Although the critique was intended to be constructive, the harsh tone of the feedback inadvertently hurt the feelings of the young artist.

Anchors to
Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    another nail in someone's coffin

    An event that increases the likelihood of or causes further failure.

  2. 02

    answer someone's prayers

    To be or do exactly what someone has been wishing or asking for.

  3. 03

    answer to someone's prayers

    Exactly what someone has been wishing or asking for.

  4. 04

    apple of someone's eye

    The object of somebody's affections; a person (or sometimes a thing) that someone strongly prefers; a favorite, a loved one.

  5. 05

    bane of someone's existence

    Someone or something that poses a significant problem to someone.

  6. 06

    bash someone's face in

    To beat someone violently.

  7. 07

    bash someone's head

    To beat up someone violently.

  8. 08

    be someone's to lose

    To be anticipated to be won by someone.

© 2026 English Reference