hurtful
- 01 B1 Intermediate
describes words or actions that make you feel sad, upset, or insulted.
causing emotional distress, psychological pain, or offense to another person.
Simple“It was very hurtful when he forgot my birthday after I helped him with his.”
In context“The manager's hurtful comments about her performance were delivered in front of the entire team, causing significant embarrassment.”
UsageCommonly used to describe remarks, comments, or personal behavior.
Teacher's tipLearners often confuse this with 'painful'; 'hurtful' is almost always emotional, while 'painful' is usually physical.
- 02 C1 Advanced
causing physical harm or damage to something.
tending to cause injury, impairment, or damage to a physical entity or abstract system.
Simple“The new law could be hurtful to small businesses in the city.”
In context“Environmentalists argued that the proposed dam would be hurtful to the local ecosystem by disrupting natural water flow.”
UsageIn modern English, 'harmful' or 'damaging' is much more common for this sense.
Teacher's tipThis sense is less common in modern speech; advise students to use 'harmful' for physical or economic damage.
Antonyms
From hurt + -ful.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.