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.

---

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

Leading scorer Mark Stone suffered a lacerated spleen, the latest blow to a team that’s dropped four of five and surrendered 12 goals the last two games.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 23, 2024

My hands are lacerated, I sound like I’m breathing through a gas mask, and I’m looking through a slit formed by the puffed lids of my right eye.

From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen

Related Words

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