hurtful
adj.adj. causing emotional pain or making someone feel bad. You use this to describe words or actions that upset people.
adj. causing emotional distress or psychological pain. Often describes remarks, behavior, or attitudes that damage a person's feelings or self-esteem.
It was very hurtful when you ignored my message.
She apologized for her hurtful comments, realizing later how much they had upset her best friend.
While the criticism was intended to be constructive, the blunt delivery made it feel unnecessarily hurtful to the young artist who was already struggling with self-doubt.
From hurt + -ful.
Typically follows a linking verb like 'be', 'feel', or 'sound', or precedes the noun it modifies.
His words were very hurtingHis words were very hurtfulLearners often use the present participle 'hurting' to describe the cause of pain, but 'hurtful' is the standard adjective for things that cause emotional distress.