lacerated

American  

[las-uh-rey-tid] / ˈlæs əˌreɪ tɪd /

adjective

1. mangled; jagged; torn.

2. pained; wounded; tortured.

   lacerated sensibilities.

3. Botany, Zoology. having the edge variously cut as if torn into irregular segments, as a leaf.

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Other Word Forms

• unlacerated adjective

Etymology

Origin of lacerated

First recorded in 1600–10; lacerate + -ed ²

Explanation

If skin is lacerated, it's deeply cut or badly torn. After falling hard on your skateboard, you can tell your knees are lacerated by the blood seeping through your jeans. Doctors use the word lacerated to describe particularly jagged wounds or cuts. If your skin is lacerated, it needs to be disinfected and possibly even stitched up. If you have a painful mishap on your unicycle, you're more likely to call your injury a "cut" or "wound," but when you go to the emergency room, they'll describe your arm as lacerated. The Latin root means "tear to pieces" or "mangle."

Example Sentences

"I'm convinced that if my nerve was lacerated tomorrow I would have our implant put in," he said.

From BBC • Feb. 10, 2026

Judge Cote lacerated the plaintiff attorneys for cherry-picking evidence and ignoring studies that have found no causal link.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 29, 2025

He left the room, returning with a metronome whose loud, mechanical clicking lacerated the otherwise-fine mood being created by a Bach record on the turntable.

From Salon • Apr. 19, 2025

Barabak: She lacerated Trump, citing his role inciting the Jan. 6 riot, his felony conviction for election interference and a jury’s finding he was liable for sexual abuse.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 23, 2024

She narrowed her eyes and curled her lacerated fingertips into her palms.

From "The Reader" by Traci Chee

Related Words

• broken
• cracked
• damaged
• divided
• mangled
• ripped
• ruptured
• severed