# wounded

/ˈwundɪd/ (US) · /wˈuːndɪd/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/wounded
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. physically injured

adjective · CEFR B2

hurt by a weapon or in an accident, often with a cut or a hole in the skin.

For teachers: suffering from a physical injury, typically one involving a breach of the skin or tissue caused by an external weapon or force.

- The wounded soldiers were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
- The medics worked tirelessly to stabilise the wounded survivors before the transport helicopters arrived at the crash site.

### 2. emotionally hurt

adjective · CEFR B2

feeling upset or offended because someone was unkind to you.

For teachers: suffering from emotional or psychological distress, often due to a perceived insult or betrayal.

- He had a wounded look on his face after she criticised his work.
- She spoke in a wounded tone, clearly affected by the committee's sudden dismissal of her long-term project.

### 3. injured people

noun · CEFR B2

people who have been hurt, especially in a war.

For teachers: a collective plural noun referring to people who have sustained injuries, particularly in a military or disaster context.

- The wounded were moved away from the front lines as quickly as possible.
- International aid organisations prioritised the evacuation of the wounded, as the local clinics were no longer able to provide surgical care.

Usage: Always used with 'the' to refer to a group of people.

### 4. particle physics

adjective · CEFR C2 · Technical

describes a tiny particle that has hit something and lost some of its energy.

For teachers: referring to a particle that has undergone an inelastic collision, resulting in a change of state or energy loss.

- The experiment tracked how the wounded particles moved after the collision.
- In high-energy physics, the wounded nucleon model is used to describe the participants in a heavy-ion collision.

## Examples

- The doctors worked quickly to help the wounded.
- After the earthquake, the local school was turned into a temporary hospital to treat the wounded.
- International law mandates that the wounded must be treated with humanity and care, regardless of which side of the conflict they represent.

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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.