ENGLISH
REFERENCE

wounded

n. uncountable
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈwundɪd// UK //wˈuːndɪd// wound·ed

n. people who have been hurt or injured, especially during a war or a large accident. You usually use this word when talking about a group of people rather than just one person.

n. a collective group of people who have suffered physical injury, typically in the context of warfare or a major emergency. Functions as a collective noun when preceded by the definite article.


SIMPLE

The doctors worked quickly to help the wounded.

CONTEXTUAL

After the earthquake, the local school was turned into a temporary hospital to treat the wounded.

COMPLEX

International law mandates that the wounded must be treated with humanity and care, regardless of which side of the conflict they represent.

Synonyms
Usage

Used as a collective noun with 'the' to refer to a group of injured people; it takes a plural verb.

Pitfall

Many woundeds were in the hospital.Many of the wounded were in the hospital.When used as a noun, 'wounded' is a collective term and does not take a plural 's'.

© 2026 English Reference