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View synonyms for

sore

[ sawr, sohr ]

adjective

sorer, sorest.
  1. physically painful or sensitive, as a wound, hurt, or diseased part:

    a sore arm.

    Synonyms:

  2. suffering bodily pain from wounds, bruises, etc.:

    He is sore because of all that exercise.

  3. suffering mental pain; grieved, distressed, or sorrowful:

    to be sore at heart.

    Synonyms: , , ,

  4. causing great mental pain, distress, or sorrow:

    a sore bereavement.

    Synonyms: , ,

  5. causing very great suffering, misery, hardship, etc.:

    sore need.

  6. Informal. annoyed; irritated; offended; angered:

    He was sore because he had to wait.

  7. causing annoyance or irritation:

    a sore subject.



noun

  1. a sore spot or place on the body.

    Synonyms: , , ,

  2. a source or cause of grief, distress, irritation, etc.

adverb

  1. Archaic. sorely.

sore

/ ɔː /

adjective

  1. (esp of a wound, injury, etc) painfully sensitive; tender
  2. causing annoyance

    a sore point

  3. resentful; irked

    he was sore that nobody believed him

  4. urgent; pressing

    in sore need

  5. postpositive grieved; distressed
  6. causing grief or sorrow
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. a painful or sensitive wound, injury, etc
  2. any cause of distress or vexation
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adverb

  1. archaic.
    direly; sorely (now only in such phrases as sore pressed, sore afraid )
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • ˈǰԱ, noun
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Other Word Forms

  • ǰn noun
  • ܲ·ǰ adjective
  • ܲ·ǰly adverb
  • un·ǰn noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of sore1

First recorded before 900; Middle English (adjective, noun, and adverb); Old English ; cognate with Dutch zeer, German sehr, Old Norse
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Word History and Origins

Origin of sore1

Old English ; related to Old Norse , Old High German ŧ, Gothic sair sore, Latin saevus angry
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Idioms and Phrases

In addition to the idiom beginning with sore , also see sight for sore eyes ; stick out (like a sore thumb) .
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

South Africa's ties with Russia have not been a sore point for Trump, as he too gets along with Putin and has been pushing Zelensky to make a deal with the Russian leader.

From

"He was a bit sore, but it's nothing serious, so it's good," Arteta said.

From

Forest management is indeed a sore spot in California, where decades of fire suppression have allowed vegetation to build up, which is in turn acting as fuel for the state’s larger and more frequent blazes.

From

We feel the pressure of sore backs and full bladders.

From

Tammy added: "Some of the times he hit me I was so sore. I was black and blue. I could hardly walk or sit down. It was awful."

From

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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