injury
Americannoun
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harm or damage that is done or sustained.
to escape without injury.
- Synonyms:
- mischief, impairment, ruin, destruction
- Antonyms:
- benefit
-
a particular form or instance of harm.
an injury to one's shoulder; an injury to one's pride.
-
wrong or injustice done or suffered.
-
Law. any wrong or violation of the rights, property, reputation, etc., of another for which legal action to recover damages may be made.
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Obsolete. injurious speech; calumny.
noun
-
physical damage or hurt
-
a specific instance of this
a leg injury
-
harm done to a reputation
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law a violation or infringement of another person's rights that causes him harm and is actionable at law
-
an obsolete word for insult
Synonym Usage
Injury, hurt, wound refer to impairments or wrongs. Injury, originally denoting a wrong done or suffered, is hence used for any kind of evil, impairment, or loss, caused or sustained: physical injury; injury to one's reputation. Hurt suggests especially physical injury, often bodily injury attended with pain: a bad hurt from a fall. A wound is usually a physical hurt caused by cutting, shooting, etc., or an emotional hurt: a serious wound in the shoulder; to inflict a wound by betraying someone's trust.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of injury
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English injurie, from Latin injūria “unlawful conduct, injustice,” equivalent to in- in- 3 + jūr-, stem of jūs “right, law” ( see jus, just 1) + -ia -ia
Explanation
Injury is a noun with several similar meanings, all involving physical harm or wrongdoing. If you’re not careful, your reckless bike riding could result in a crash that causes injury. Injury often refers to physical damage, but it can be used more figuratively to describe something that's unjust or that causes harm that isn't physical. For example, your estranged grandfather might do you the injury of leaving you out of his will. The word injury comes from in-, meaning “not,” and the Latin root ius or iur, meaning “right.” So an injury is something that's not right — it's something that has gone wrong that leads to damage.
Vocabulary lists containing injury
You Be the Judge: Jud, Jur, Jus
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Negatives with "in"
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That Hurts! Synonyms for "Pain"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
She suffered a knee injury on the job and had to stop working when Goodwin was little, and now has only Social Security to rely on for income.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026
Ignoring those facts not only puts women at risk of injury or injustice; it reverses 50 years of advancement.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
Speculation around the Ederson transfer collapsing has been swirling over the weekend after initial reports last week claimed there was a problem due to a knee injury.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
He began posting critiques of viral L.A. dishes after a work injury and never expected them to take off.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026
Fortuitously, no injury was sustained by either the four-footed or two-footed victims of the misadventure.
From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck
By then, he said, his injuries had healed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
Three people were transported to a local hospital with impact injuries from falling into the water, while 13 others were safe on shore, he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
And since the pile-up of injuries hasn’t deterred women from buying the pants, it might just be that fashion victim is the real label of the summer.
From Salon ● Jul. 14, 2026
Ten men suffered injuries Tuesday during the eighth and final bull run of Spain's famed San Fermin festival, bringing to 57 the total number of daredevils injured during this year's fiesta.
From Barron's ● Jul. 14, 2026
All I can think of is Abuela’s warnings about head injuries.
From "Merci Suárez Changes Gears" by Meg Medina
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.
